A Crusade Of Fire
by Lucius-RC-75
Summary: The Flame is dying and the last battle between Light and Dark approaches, the Lords have awakened from dead in a last attempt to light the fire and several Unkindled rise to defend it, one in particular is bent in becoming a Crusader Of Fire to defeat the Abyss once and for all... And with the looming threat of Pontiff Sulyvhan and The Deep, it will be a challenging last Crusade
1. Prologue

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 _A/N:_ **Greetings and welcome to A Crusade Of Fire, a story that follows the struggles of an Unkindled Hero to gather the Lords Of Cinder, return them to their thrones and link the Flame, but his goals aren't simply that: he wants to make sure the Flame stays lit forever**

 **This is the first part of a 4-stories long series I am planning, A Crusade Of Fire will of course be based on Dark Souls 3… and the other 3 stories? Well now, that's for the future!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story! I know I will.**

 **PS: Spoiler Alert! So if you haven't completed Dark Souls 3, don't read!**

 _ **Prologue**_

The fight was vicious and certainly epic, the small, old and fragile Ludleth battling against the all-powerful Lord Of Cinder, Ludleth had nothing left, absolutely nothing left anymore, Courland existed no more, destroyed by its very own Soul Arts, and the Abyss was spreading without control

He lunged forward to stab his powerful sword, infused with Souls, deep into the chest of the Lord Of Cinder, who, to his surprise, exploded in a fiery flash… he screamed in pain as a massive fireball struck him, charring his armor, the force of the explosion tearing his legs away from him

He coughed as he fellto the ground, gripping his powerful sword in one hand and removing his charred and destroyed helmet with the other, tossing it aside as he struggled to crawl towards the flame "I may be small, but I will die a Colossus" Ludleth said solemnly as he touched the flame and screamed as the searing fire surrounded him

" _It's the only way"_ Knight Athwulf, the leader of the Abyss Watchers, said grimly to the Alpha Pack Leaders of the Undead Legion Of Farron, slowly rubbing the legendary Wolf Ring on his finger as he stared at every last one of them in the eyes, the ashes of the Kiln surrounding them; The whole Legion was present except for the traitorous Harkwood, who had defected to serve the Dragon Path

The pointy steel helmets were visible all around him, the Knight being the only exception, since he wore Artorias' Armor itself as a sign of his status, slowly, he gripped his Greatsword, the same greatsword of the legendary Artorias, and turned around to face the fog wall, rising his weapon high in the sky

" _The Abyss is out of control! Kingdom after Kingdom we have purged and yet the darkness keeps pouring nonstop into the land, Farron will soon be next, linking the flame is the only way of stopping it… and so, it is our task to do it! FORWARD, UNDEAD LEGION OF FARRON! FORWARD, ABYSS WATCHERS! FORWARD, SONS OF ARTORIAS!"_ he shouted to rally his men before rushing into the fog wall, the Legion soon following suit

The battle was quick and easy, their sheer numbers and power tearing the previous Lord Of Cinder apart like Wolves tearing a Sheep, minutes after, the Legion gathered around the flame and Athwulf closed his eyes- "It's the only way… the Abyss is spreading as we speak, by doing this we honor Artorias' legacy"

No other word was uttered as the Knight touched the flame and they were all consumed as one

* * *

" _Yhorm! Yhorm! Yhorm!"_ the cheers ringed on his ears as he began his procession, the Giant and Lord of the Capital marching forward to the flame, coated in his full battle armor and his crown, his machete gripped tightly on both his hands as he marched, full of resolve, towards the kiln

He knew the cheers weren't sincere, he loved the Capital and its People, but they didn't loved him, only his power and the wealth he brought to them… ungrateful shits, but it was his capital and his people after all, he couldn't complain, he just loved them so much… it was all that was left to him after he lost his loved one and had tossed his Greatshield away

It was the only way, the Profaned Flame was getting dangerous, if not contained quickly it would consume the whole city… and what better way than to kindle the First Flame? The original and true Flame

As he reached the fog, he turned to face his only true friend, Siegward of Catarina, a Undead Knight from a long lost kingdom that had lived for so long… _"It's the only way, Siegward… It's the only way to save the capital"_ he said in grief before entering the fog gate, the fight was over before it started, his great strength and his powerful machete doing short work of the previous Lord Of Cinder

That night, the Flame was linked and the city fell on celebration, celebration of both the salvation of the city and the dead of the hated Lord Yhorm… but the celebration was short lived, for the new Lord Of Cinder was so powerful that he wasn't consumed immediately, quite the contrary, the Giant came out of the Kiln and, infuriated by the lack of love of his people, rampaged through the city and burned it to the ground using the power of the flame

And then he laid down in the tomb that had been prepared for him and finished being consumed by the flame _"I promise, Yhorm my old friend, to end your rampage should you ever rise again"_ Siegward of Catarina, one of the only survivors, said as he wept over the tomb

* * *

" _Where is my prey?!"_ the dark and loud voice shook the whole Kiln as Pontiff Sulyvhan and the Three Archdeacons Of The Deep stared at the massive blob of darkness, it looked like one of those abominations, The Pus Of Man, who were possessed by the abyss and adopted gigantic, serpent-like forms made of darkness… only that Aldrich was a gigantic version of it

The Three Archdeacons cowered in fear as they knelt to worship the Saint Of The Deep, but Sulyvhan, self-proclaimed Pontiff Of The Deep and old friend of the abomination, smiled as he pointed at the fog gate _"Another God, as promised my old friend"!"_ the Pontiff said with his skilled tongue, easily convincing the monster to enter the fog gate… the sounds of struggling could be hear inside as it began devouring the previous Lord Of Cinder

Sulyvhan rised a hand and the fog gate was sealed so strongly that not even Aldrich himself could break it _"Its necessary, my subjects, its necessary, Aldrich was becoming too strong, too powerful, too chaotic, he would've devoured the whole world eventually… he hasn't even finished devouring Gwyndolin and he already wanted to eat another God… fear not tough, for soon the Age Of Fire and the Age Of Dark will both die, and the Age Of The Deep will rise"_ The Pontiff said as he turned around to leave the Kiln

Moments later, as the Lord Of Cinder was devoured, Aldrich, Saint Of The Deep, Devourer Of Gods was now also Lord Of Cinder, and the fire of the First Flame soon consumed him completely, using his raw power to keep the Age alive…. His remnants were retrieved and sent to a massive tomb in the Cathedral Of The Deep

* * *

Prince Lothric simply closed the book and tossed it to the fire, slowly beginning to crawl towards his oh so dear brother Lorian and climbing on his back _"We must leave, Brother, we must leave… the flame is condemned to fall, I don't want to link the flame, I CAN'T link the flame, it's too horrible, the fate is too horrible…"_ he whispered to his ear as he began preparing a teleportation spell

" _But I know a place, a place where we can watch the flame fade from a safe distance and enjoy our brotherhood together…. Far from danger, only the two of us, safe, forever… let others link the Flame"_ Lothric whispered before he teleported both he and his brother Lorian out of the Castle

Hours later, all the bells of the castle began ringing to give the news: Prince Lothric had escaped

* * *

Years later, the consequences for Lothric's actions were now quite visible: the flame was fading, the Undead Curse had returned, and now Time itself was convoluted, the lands of ancient Lords Of Cinder had appeared all around the land, heroes from ages past had arrived to Lothric, and now the Abyss was spreading

And so, for the first time, the Bell Tower Of Firelink Shrine began ringing, over and over again, it began ringing to awaken the Lords and the Unkindled, for the Flame was in peril, and only They could save it

The Undead Legion Of Farron, The Abyss Watchers, opened their eyes as the bells rang, and one by one they began rising in their graves, swords in hand, ready to put the Abyss at bay once more

Yhorm, The Giant, Lord Of The Profaned Capital, sank his machete deep into the ground and supported himself in it to rise to his feet, hearing the bell ring, he looked up, remembering how he had destroyed his very own Capital, and he roared, his body burning as he stood

Aldrich, Saint Of The Deep, Devourer Of Gods, destroyed the seal of his tomb as it raised, water pouring into the ground, to the surprise of the Deacons Of The Deep, the dark blob reached the ground and growled, ready to extract revenge upon Pontiff Sulyvhan, the damn traitor, and to finish consuming poor Gwyndolin

And deep in the Cementery Of Ash, in a forgotten grave, a Knight rised, once an Undead, now Unkindled, he had failed to link the flame long ago, and now he was back to life, a second chance to do what he failed to do.

Joshep, Knight Of Lothric, rose from his grave and looked at the Firelink Shrine on the distance

" _I… I am alive… I've awakened…"_

 _ **A/N:**_ _ **AAAAAAND The end! Of the Prologue of course, hope it was good enough! I speculated heavily on it and used my own interpretations of the Item Descriptions, hope you like it! For me, it looks like in Dark Souls 3 we are in the timeline of Lothric AND Irythrill of the Boreal Valley, as well as the Cathedral Of The Deep**_

 _ **I think we are in the Age extended when Aldrich was forced to link the fire, but that Lothric failed to do so and as such the bells began ringing**_

 _ **But hey! We will see more of that in the next episode, hope you enjoyed it!**_


	2. Awakening

_**A Crusade Of Fire**_

 _ **By Lucius RC**_

 _ **A/N: Hello there, ladies and gentlemen! Lucius RC is back to give you more of A Crusade Of Fire!**_

 _ **I am kindly surprised by all the amount of support I've been getting, my friends! And I must thank you kindly for all the help you're giving so this story may progress, I really appreciate it!**_

 _ **As for the reviewers, indeed DS 3 is confusing! But I hope I get the hand of its lore good enough… if not, well, speculation is always good!**_

 _ **Today's chapter will deal with the Tutorial of DS 3 of course, the start of our Hero's Adventure**_

 _ **Lets begin!**_

 _ **Chapter 1: Awakening**_

" _I am Alive"_ Joseph repeated as he looked at his armored hands, he was… alive, yet again… but there was no bonfire nearby, absolutely no bonfire, and he had clear memories of slowly hollowing and losing his mind, how come he was still alive… and more importantly, where was he?

The Knight tried to stand and get on the ground, but he yelped in pain as he fell to the ground like a rag doll… of course, he hadn't used his muscles for Gwyn's knows how many years, maybe even decades or centuries, it was to be expected that they were sore and hurtful

And the heavy armor on his body didn't helped matters at all, Joseph groaned in pain as he dug his Longsword into the ground and supported his weight on it, slowly rising to his feet and almost falling again thanks to the soreness of his muscles, but he soon got the hold of it and began stretching and strolling around

" _And of course, I reek"_ He complained after his muscles became the least of his worry, his nose being assaulted by the horrible dead-like smell coming from his own body, years locked in a tomb tended to make someone smell horrible _"I hope I find water somewhere…"_

Slowly he continued stretching his muscles, getting used to his old armor and new found life, he was using a Knight Armor Set, sturdy iron armor and brown clothing, alongside a heavy belt and brown cape, a steel Longsword in his right hand and a decorated low-ranking Knight shield in his left hand, he gave a few experimental swings before beginning to walk forward

And that's where he found his first enemy: a decaying Hollow, probably a former worker who tended to the graves, it held a broken but still sharp sword in its hand and its body was wrapped in a black cape and clothes, Joseph slowly began stepping back as it howled and charged at him

The Knight's instincts kicked in as he raised his shield, the broken sword and the hollow's body crashing against it with surprising force, Joseph immediately screamed in agony as pain jolted through his sore muscles, but fortunately the weak hollow was staggered long enough for him to plunge his sword into its stomach

Everything was coming back to his mind, the fight techniques, his training, and as he took out his sword from the Hollow's stomach and finished its wretched and crazed existence with a slash to the head, his past

With a grunt Joseph fell to his knees, everything hitting his head like a huge rolling boulder

" _I am Sir Joseph, former Knight Of Lothric, when the flame began dwindling the Undead Curse reached me and, for my safety and the safety of my friends, I renounced to my position and instead took the coat of a minor Knight, and taking the mission to gain strength and kindle the flame"_ He remembered as he dug his sword into the ground for support again

" _But I was only one of many, and my path failed… pathetically so, I came face to face with Aldrich The Saint Of The Deep during my travel and, while I managed to escape, he wounded me badly, and a Darkwraith from Londo delivered the final blow in my way back to Lothric… I remember an afterlife, but its fuzzy, I only remember meeting with Gods like Gwyn, The Chosen Undead and others… but now I am here"_

With a sigh, Joseph stood up, the joy of reviving far gone from him now, he had failed in his duty, everyone was counting on him, he was basically the herald of Lothric and the one who would link the flame for the glory of the Realm, but he failed

The Knight removed his helmet and stared deep into it, gasping as he saw his reflection, He wasn't udead! He wasn't even hollow anymore! He was a human again! He removed his gauntlet to feel his face again, it was all there, his short black hair, his black eyes, his olive skin, his face from the peasants of the realm… it was all there again

" _I… is this possible? That I am alive again? Oh fucking yes, its all over!"_ he said with joy, he had no idea of why he was alive, but he was alive! And that's what mattered, he was already making plans to go back to Lothric when he found the second hollow near a small bowl-like structure

" _Hollows… the curse is back again… "_ he said, realizing that probably Lothric was in ruins by now, with a determined growl he advanced forward and bashed the Hollow's face with his shield before forcing it into its knees with a swing of his sword, and then beheading it with a strong slash "DAMN YOU TO HELL, DARKSIGN! DAMN YOU!" he shouted into the air as he kicked the body

That's when he noticed that, in a body leaning against the bowl, there was a blue estus-like flask, he picked it up and looked at it, probably something to restore his magical energy by the looks of it… or a deadly poison, that's when he remembered his own trusty estus flask, and he patted his bag to make sure it was there, pleased to find out it was

And he noticed the ring too, The Ring Of Life, a modest silver ring with a purple gem: a family heirloom… ah how he missed his family, by now they were all probably either dead or hollows, shaking the thought from his head he advanced forward

There were three paths, two stairs: one leading to the right and other to the left, and a straight one ahead from the fountain, he decided to go to the right stairs and there he found a hollow leaning against the wall and Joseph was quick to backstab the accursed undead, his sword sinking deep into its back before being pulled out

As he came into a watery area two more hollows awaited him and he recklessly charged forward, all that fighting was getting his muscles strong and ready yet again, but alas, he forgot the number one rule: patience

The first hollow fell to the ground with a big gash on its chest, but Joseph gained a punishment as the second hollow slashed at his shoulder and created a nasty bruise, a small cut and damaging his armor, he screamed in pain as he turned around just in time to receive a stab at his belly, that, while causing damage, was thankfully blocked by the armor

With a scream he slashed at its chest and then bashed its heat with his shield before bringing him to the ground with a good kick in the stomach and ending its misery by impaling his chest with the sword, but he was forced to drop it as a broken sword penetrated the armor in his upper thigh, broke the skin and reached the bone, a small stream of blood beginning to flow

He almost collapsed right there, but he took his shield with both hands and cried as he began beating the Hollow to dead with it, hitting it over and over again until its skull gave in and was crushed under the weight of the shield, the Knight almost immediately pulling the broken sword out and screaming as he did more damage, the blood already covering most of his thigh armor and brown clothing

He limped his way out of the bloody water and towards the stairs to the left, only to be received by a bolt straight to his chest, he fell to the ground but managed to roll to get behind a wall for cover, and he desperately took out his Estus flask and began drinking from it, his wounds slowly going away

He growled as he stood up, deciding to flank the archer through the left path, as he walked a new hollow charged towards him but he easily parried his hit with his shield and almost on instinct he Riposted, killing it almost instantly _"Fun, my training in sword and shield is still here"_

The Crossbowman was dealt with swiftly, a sword to the back of the head generally made things quick, he was interrupted by two other hollows charging towards him, but he dealt with them just as quick and walked up the hill, gasping as he saw the beautiful White Mountains… and Lothric Castle

It was just as he remembered it, the nostalgia immediately hitting him, he started at it for a good while before sighing as he continued his path, he was sure he would come there soon enough

And surprise! A Bonfire, he almost rushed to it as the memories of what to do rushed into his mind, the knight's hand soon touched the curled sword and the fire immediately surged and he sat down soon after, the soreness in his body, the wounds, the bruises… all of them cured instantly as his Estus refilled and his spirit lifted, he remained like this for a few minutes before standing up and continuing his path

Two sleeping hollows on the right, one patrolling hollow just ahead, he rolled under the attack of the patrolling one and sliced its kneecap before slicing its throat and walking away towards a ravine, having no wish to wake up the hollows and make his journey harder than it was already

He jumped and landed on a nearby tomb, picking up a Titanite Shard from a body- " _Titanite, I will have a good use for this"_ he said as he jumped down and ran towards another fall, jumping and this time landing into a hollow, his sword plunging deep into its head before he ran forward to meet a hollow in front of a gate

He rolled forward to avoid the firey bolt and made a stockade to its stomach while on his knees before standing up with a slash that tore its chest open, and soon he finished the poor beast's suffering and cries of pain with a stab between the eyes

And now he was standing right in front of a big gate, the strange building on the distance, and a strange statue with a halberd and a sword impaled into it kneeling in the middle of a stone circle surrounded by water _"I wonder who he is"_

 **A/N:** **AAAAAAAAAAAAND CLIFFHANGER!**

 **Next chapter we will fight against the legendary Ludex Gundyr and enter Firelink Shrine to discover its secret and talk with the people inside, I am sorry for the cliffhanger but the word count is already pretty high!**

 **Hope you enjoy! See you all next chapter, I am liking this three-day udapte system, maybe I will reduce it to two!**


	3. The Ludex

_**A Crusade Of Fire**_

 _ **By Lucius RC**_

 _ **A/N:**_ _ **Hello there dear readers! Hope you're doing good and I am sorry for the one day delay of the fic, I've been a bit busy trying to defeat the Twin Princes in Dark Souls 3, 3 more bosses remaining and I will beat the game! Nameless King, Twin princes and Soul Of Cinder**_

 _ **But damn its hard! But getting the hang of it, in TP I always reach the second phase, always, and in NK 50% of the time I pass to the second part, I hope that I will kill them soon!**_

 _ **Anyways, having a problem with reviews, the problem seems to be site-wide and it should be clear in a few days, so sorry if you asked me something and I didn't answered!**_

 _ **For now, lets begin!**_

 _ **Chapter 2: The Ludex**_

The Statue was tall and thick, so much that Joseph only managed to reach its chest at full height and even with the statue's crouched down position, but there was no denying something: the statue was damn beautiful and terrifying at the same time

It was supposed to represent a Warrior or a King, a great Champion of war or so the Knight thought, a masked helmet with a crown, a great armor with muscles chiseled into it and thick leggings, all of it representing the body and face of the man it was based upon… the only thing that didn't fit was the coiled sword impaled into its Abdomen

The Knight felt a rather strange pull towards the sword, but at the same time he felt deterred to it, obviously it wasn't intended to be in the statue since the materials were different and the sword didn't looked that old, but he had the feeling that something bad would happen if he removed it

And that's when he noticed the small and twisting black tentacles on the back of the statue and he released a quick gasp of surprise as he stepped back, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he watched carefully at the tentacles and the statue

He drew his sword and carefully stepped towards the statue again, tapping at it rather carefully with the flat side of his Longsword… stone! Hard and pure stone, nothing to worry about of course, even with that clear Abyss-infection in its back, he had never heard of the Abyss infecting inanimate objects so he was probably safe

Plus the sword looked just like the ones plunged into bonfires, that sounded like it could be useful, he could maybe create a bonfire in a strategic place and avoid most problems rather easily, so without giving it a second thought he sheathed his sword, swung his shield to his back and gripped the hilt of the coiled sword with both hands, beginning to pull

When he noticed the blood coming out as the sword was pulled out, it was way too late, the hole simply disappeared as the stone turned into metal, hard and cold Iron, same with the Halberd on the former Statue's side, the figure began to move and crack in a rather creepy way and Joseph cursed himself for his stupidity as he drew out his sword and his shield

" _LOTHRIC!"_ He shouted as he stabbed at the creature's stomach and then slashed at it, the Iron armor barely bulged to his sword but he did do some small damage, that is, until he was swatted away like a fly by the giant's arm, the pain was terrible both from the hit and the rough landing into the stone, but luckily no bones were broken as he stood up

The Knight coughed as he slowly stood up, gripping his shield and sword tightly as he turned around to face the man who now stood tall in all his glory, holding his halberd tightly and looking straight into his eyes _"Who are you?"_ Joseph said as he got into a combat stance, rising his shield to protect himself, to his surprise the creature actually spoke

" _My name is Gundyr, I am the Judge, The Adjudicator, The Arbiter, The Ludex, Ludex Gundyr"_ It, or rather He, said in a masculine and deep voice as it stepped out of his little island into the water surrounding it _"I judge the Ash of this Cemetery and decide if they are worthy of passing into the Firelink Shrine, or not, several Unkindled have risen already, and most of the Lords Of Cinder have so as well, you have awakened later than expected, Unkindled, What is thy name?"_

Joseph slowly began stepping back as the Ludex approached him, his whole body tensing up as adrenaline rushed through it _"I am Sir Joseph, Knight Of Lothric and former Undead, I am afraid I don't recognize the term 'Unkindled' but if it means I am no longer Hollowed then yes, I am unkindled, what trial will you give to me so I may pass?"_ He asked, although he already knew the answer

" _Trial by combat"_ Gundry said as he crouched and then jumped, the Knight's eyes widened as he rolled to the side just in time to avoid the crushing hit that cracked the ground, as the Ludex began pulling his Halberd out of the ground and standing up Joseph shouted and pounded mercilessly into his masked face with his longsword, the third strike creating a crack in the iron and causing blood to pour out

But his greediness for hits caused the Ludex to yet again swat him like a fly with his armored hand, he crashed into the ground and, although his armor absorbed most of the damage, the pain still ringed throughout his body as he stood up again only to be swatted yet again but this time with a tear on his armor and blood pouring out of his chest, the Halberd had struck him

" _Pathetic, absolutely pathetic, do you really call yourself Unkindled? Do you really think you can link the Flame? You're not the Hero who gave me this task long ago"_ Gundry said with a growl as he jumped yet again, the weakened Joseph managed to successfully roll to the side to avoid the hit, but as he was about to chug on estus he felt an intense pain on his torso

He looked down to see the blade of the Halberd impaled deep inside him, and he groaned as he was lifted up, the life already slipping away from him as he was thrown hard against the wall, the impact splattering it with blood and breaking his spine, ending his life

That was his very first dead

And luckily enough, he woke up in the bonfire some time after, fully cured and with only the memories remaining, he grunted as he stood up, grasping his now cured chest, and then marched on

And died

Over and over again, both to Gundyr and to the hollows guarding the entrance to his Arena

But after dead number 10, he got the hang of it… and he was pissed off, pissed off like hell

And so for an eleventh time he came into the fog gate with his sword tightly gripped in his right hand and his shield on his side, he learned by his third time that the Halberd's hit could be blocked, but would drain most of the stamina from him and not leave him enough energy for a counterattack, so it was basically useless

And he could be parried, but not Riposted thanks to his thick armor, but it still left him staggered and vulnerable to various hits, rolling around and staying to his left was quite easy as well, and by now his attacks were more than predictable, He was ready to beat the Ludex now

" _Ah? Again? You BORE me, filthy hollow, I am surprised you haven't hollowed yet, I've made it quite clear by now that you're not an Unkindled, you're nothing but trash"_ Gundyr said harshly as he rose to his knees and got ready to jump, Joseph noticed the Abyss infection on his back was growing and getting worse _"Soon you will hollow, you're not the Hero who will link the flame, you're scum, and as scum you will die"_ He said before jumping

Joseph didn't even flinched as he almost automatically rolled around, and got on Gundyr's back, he slashed at his upper thighs, which were draped on blue cloth and lightly armored compared to the rest of his body, the blade sinking into the iron and then the skin, once inside he twisted and pulled out, causing the Ludex to roar and fall to his knees

The Knight ducked and saw the arm flying above his head, before jumping forward and, with all his strength, stabbing at the man's mask, he could see the mask visibly cracking at the strength and hear the satisfying sound of a nose breaking and iron penetrating skin while blood flowed out

The Ludex actually staggered at this and stepped back roaring in pain, letting the Knight slash four times at his torso, battering his armor badly and producing deep cuts and bruises through it before rolling backwards to avoid the slices of the Halberd _"You're getting good, but you will still fall"_ Gundyr said, although not with the same conviction as before

As he jumped yet again towards him the Knight rolled between his legs and turned around to plunge his sword into the point where his rear and his ass connected, the sword penetrated easily through the light armor of the area and then he pulled it upwards, and twisted hard, pulling it out alongside a good chunk of skin, iron and a river of blood

Gundyr roared as he fell to his knees yet again and tried to swat him away with his halberd, but he parried the hit with his shield and then began mercilessly beat at his mask with his sword using powerful swings, the mask soon cracked into two and the blade cut deep into his face before the Ludex got his first hit

Joseph grunted as he was thrown upwards by the blade of the halberd and then slammed towards the wall by Gundyr's shoulder, that got a good chunk of his health, but he chugged down estus as quick as possible to cure his wounds and then parried the halberd hit, staggering the Ludex yet again

But this time he could riposte, with a loud warcry he plunged his sword into his throat, the blade penetrating the armor and sinking deep into his skin, the tip surfacing in the forehead of the broken mask, there was no way anyone could survive that, he slowly pulled the sword away and let the Ludex's body slump to the ground

Thing is, it didn't slumped to the ground, Gundyr began whimpering and struggling against an invisible enemy as darkness surrounded him, before roaring as a massive serpent head made of what was unmistakingly Abyss sprouted from his head, alongside a massive claw and a tail, no doubt now: Gundyr was infected by the Abyss and back for another fight

Joseph dodged the first swipe of the claw and slashed at the serpent head just in time to stop a bite from it, before bashing the tail away with his shield and tearing a chunk off with his sword and spinning to stop the incoming claw strike with his sword, the claw impaling itself into the sword before it was twisted and pulled away by Joseph

He had learned something during his fight with Gundyr, a lesson that held the most value, one that he didn't learned as a Knight Of Lothric: Patience and keeping your calm was the Key, and he used that lesson against the new enemy

Not even a single hit was landed upon him as he hit the Pus Of Man over and over again, he eventually was forced to back into a wall, but he climbed into the massive tomb that was in the edge of the arena as he fought the beast, and soon he was surprisingly on top of the beast… and without hesitation he took some steps back before running and jumping, landing right into the serpent's head and plunging his sword deep into it

The serpent roared and twisted before dying, exploding in darkness and leaving only Gundyr's poor and beaten body, who was surprisingly still alive, but barely

" _S-So the Abyss f-finally took me, It spent years in my back, but I kept it under control… I am a-afraid my duty has ended now, my friend"_ Gundry said in a friendly voice as he tried to stand up, only to fall back into the ground again _"The Abyss pulls at me, you only destroyed the infection temporarily, it will resurge soon enough and consume me completely, I have no doubts that YOU are the one now… and I must say I am glad to see you again, please, release me from my oath and then take me out of my misery"_ Gundyr pleaded as he slowly removed his helmet, revealing his face, an old but harsh and strong face with a beard

Joseph had no idea what the man was talking about, but without any doubt he nodded and said _"I, Sir Joseph Of Lothric, release you from your oath, Gundyr"_ he said solemnly, and to his surprise the old man closed his eyes and sighed in happiness before dying, he appeared yet again in the center of the arena, but this time he was hollowed, his purpose already realized

And so without a second thought he advanced forward and slashed at the hollow's exposed neck, beheading him and granting him his final wish, to die before the abyss consumed him, with a grunt he turned around and advanced forward to the double doors, opening them with his strength

He picked a few souls and materials, killed a few hollows around, as he climbed up the steps towards Firelink Shrine, the legendary Firelink Shrine, as an Undead he had never found it; But now he stood before it… he reached the gate and stepped inside eagerly, ready to find peace and prosperity…

Instead he found a full blown debate

 **A/N: AAAAAAND WE FINISH!**

 **I liked how this chapter was, much better than the last one I must add, also, you will notice that I've changed a few things: for one, Gundry talked, I am planning to do that with many bosses, allow them to speak, many things will change and won't be 100% like the game, its Fanfiction after all! I do hope you enjoy though, and any complains will be gladly and happily attended!**

 **We will see how the Lords Of Cinder abandon their thrones next chapter, and Joseph settling in the Shrine and getting ready for the great adventure that he will experience as an Unkindled**

 **After that we won't see Joseph for a while and instead focus on the Lords Of Cinder's trips to their homelands! After that, its DARK SOULS 3 TIME!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. The Shrine

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 ** _A/N:_** ** _Hello there dear readers! Hope you're doing very good today, and that you're all ready and excited for this new A Crusade Of Fire udapte!_**

 ** _I've finally beaten the Twin Princes, I used an Irithyll Straight Sword +5 in the first phase and the Wolf Greatsword +5 in the second phase, the two weapons I use most for my characters!_**

 ** _You should've been there when I was fighting the Soul Of Cinder afterwards and I got the little surprise that was his second phase, having already used all my estus in the first phase… damn that fight is hard but so damn epic_**

 ** _Anyways, here we have our new update!_**

 ** _Edit: I've updated the chapter and edited a few parts_**

 ** _Chapter 3: The Shrine_**

" _By Gwyn, what is going on here?"_ Joseph says out loud as he enters the shrine, hearing and looking at the tense debate going on, the shrine's floor was completely covered in ash and it looked decayed, when Prince Lothric refused to link the flame the Shrine was clean and presentable…. Years later it was in a ruined state

Five Thrones were now present in the room, a new addition since the last time he was here, two on the left, two on the right and one in the center high above the others, one was colossal, fit for a giant, the one parallel to it was quite big as well, while the other two were small, the one in the center being the most glorious of them

But surprisingly, only three thrones were occupied

He gasped in recognition at the three Lords Of Cinder present, he knew them from the Legends, from the books he read, from the scrolls: A colossal man with the armor of a King and a great machete, Yhorm The Giant of the Profaned Capital, Wolf Knight Athwulf and four men with raggy looking armor, capes and pointy steel helmets, The Undead Legion Of Farron, The Abyss Watchers, and Ludleth Of Courland, the legendary old man

Of course, there were others present as well, a few Unkindled who had woken up earlier than him, a Herald from the Kingdom Of Lothric, and most prominent of them all, the wicked and manipulative Pontiff Sulyvhan of The Church Of The Deep

The man stood high and arrogant in his white and black robes with images of roots, a helmet and crown made of golden roots covering his head, his twin swords missing, his presence seemed to be what detonated the debate

" _WHO LET THIS WRETCHED SPAWN OF THE ABYSS, ENEMY OF THE FIRST FLAME, ENTER THIS HOLY SHRINE?! ITS AN INSULT TO THE LORDS!"_ Wolf Knight Athwulf shouted as he threatened the man with the legendary sword of Artorias, the Wolf Knight Greatsword

The Pontiff just smiled as he raised his arms " _I've come in peace, slaves of the Flame, I came only to retrieve my good friend Aldrich who, as I expected, isn't in his Throne, but I had to check anyways, stand down dog… plus the Deep is different from the Abyss"_ he says charismatically, but the five Abyss Watchers growl as they ready their swords and prepare to charge before a calm voice silences the room

" _Lords Of Cinder, Guests, please! Calm down! This is supposed to be a Shrine, a Sanctuary, take your wars elsewhere, this is a place of peace"_ The Firekeeper says with a pleading voice, she is wearing black robes and her eyes are covered by a black band, her skin and hair are white and she is quite beautiful

" _I agree, there must be peace in the Shrine, but Enemies Of The Flame such as Pontiff Sulyvhan are not welcomed here, so I must request you to leave, Sulyvhan, for your presence is harmful and disgusting"_ Ludleth Of Courland, the small, leg-less man sitting on the upper throne of the left, says with disdain as he glares at the Pontiff before looking up at Joseph _"Ah, the last Unkindled rises, welcome, welcome, I am sorry you have to presence this, but it will be over soon"_

Joseph nodded, not knowing what to say as he stayed where he was, the Pontiff casted a glance his way before walking towards the bonfire and touching it _"If that is your wish, I will abide by it… I ask all the unkindled here to follow me to Irithyll, surely you aren't stupid enough to cling to a dying age such as Fire, or to a hopeless age such as Dark, the Age Of The Deep is the only way, Blessings of Aldrich upon all of you!"_ he said with a mocking laugh before disappearing in a flash of fire

" _Aha! At least the spawn of the Deep has left the shrine, now we can go on with our business in peace"_ Wolf Knight Athwulf said with a satisfied grunt, Ludleth nodding as he spoke next _"Sir Linus, Herald from Lothric, I believe you came to give us news? Where may Prince Lothric be?"_

Linus, the Lothric man with a Herald Armor, nodded nervously as he cleared his throat _"Prince Lothric has been located, he is in the very top of Lothric Castle and the Grand Archives, but we are unable to reach him, the small army he brought with him has hollowed and some have been consumed by the Abyss, we suspect foul play from forces of Irithyll, We have sent three Ascended Winged Knights and a few Lothric Knights to retrieve him, and that's all we can spare, ever since the Undead Curse hit us and the forces of Pontiff Sulyvhan invaded, our armies have been decimated… and the Twin Princes don't show any signs of wanting to escape, it looks like it's true, Lothric refuses his duty of linking the Fire"_ Linus said with a nervous voice, looking around at the Lords Of Cinder

" _Then the boy is an idiot, probably the Abyss will soon spread! My scouts have reported several Abyss-Infections around the land, and let's not forget that we have discovered the Catacombs Of Carthus, where High Lord Wolnir and The Abyss still rest!"_ Wolf Knight Athwulf said with a scary wolf-like growl _"Us Abyss Watchers must fulfill our duty and end the fallen High Lord Wolnir, THEN we can search for Lothric and Aldrich and link the First Flame… You've been awfully quiet, Lord Yhorm, what is your opinion?"_

Joseph's hearth almost stopped as he heard all those news, the Kingdom Of Lothric had been invaded by Irithyll Of The Boreal Valley? He knew that name well, built around the ruins of Anor Londo, it came under control of Pontiff Sulyvahn, who apparently still reigned it, it was no wonder that they were at odds with Lothric… but outright invasion?

And he knew the name of Carthus as well, an old and faraway kingdom of the sands that had been consumed by the abyss long ago when Wolnir, the king of the land, tried to harness its power, The Abyss Watchers had purged the kingdom before linking the flame, but they never found Wolnir nor the source of the Abyss, it was no wonder they wanted to end what they started now that the Catacombs appeared

Finally Yhorm, The Giant, Lord of the Profaned Capital, who had been slumped in his throne with his head down while the debate went on, rose his head slightly and looked at the bonfire absently _"The Boy has the right idea, The Flame, the Linking, the Age Of Fire… What has all of that given to me? What has this accursed Lordhood given to me? Nothing but pain and suffering"_ The Giant said with a booming voice as he stood up, the whole room trembling

" _When I linked the flame, my people died… by my hand, the flame consumed me and my brain, it consumed the whole City, I still hear their cries in my head, the cries of mercy as I ended their lives and molded them into the walls… I killed CHILDREN, FOR GWYN'S SAKE! CHILDREN! This curse… I don't care if the world dies, let the Age Of Dark come, Fire is not worth saving"_ Yhorm voice broke and he even sobbed

" _But, you can't! it's your duty, the world will perish and the Abyss or the Deep will come and destroy it! We must relink the first flame, we must bring back Lothric and Aldrich, we must find an Heir to inherit our Fire and keep the Age Of Fire going…!"_ Ludleth said with surprise, leaning forward to look at Yhorm as he simply walked towards the Bonfire and knelt before it

" _I don't care, I must mourn my people… I won't repeat the same mistake again, I will not Link the Flame again, lest it brings me even more suffering that it has already brought upon me"_ Yhorm said before touching the bonfire with the tip of his finger, moments later he disappeared in a flash of fire and ashes, teleporting away from the shrine

The whole shrine stood silent for several minutes, before Wolf Knight Athwulf broke the silence as he approached the flame alongside his bodyguards _"Three, we must look for Three Lords: find Lothric and force him to fulfill his duty, bring back Aldrich as cinders, and now we must convince Yhorm… unbelievable, I wish you the best of luck, Unkindled Heroes, do your duty and return the Lords to their thrones, I and my fellow Legionaries must travel to our old land of Farron, the old Oolacile, that has appeared yet again thanks to the convolution of time… we've found the Catacombs there, we will be back in no time once Wolnir has been dealt with"_

And before Ludleth could even protest, Athwulf touched the Flame and he, alongside his bodyguards, disappeared, leaving behind four empty thrones and a crippled old man in a fifth throne

One by one, most of the Unkindled in the room began leaving until the Shrine was mostly deserted

Few remained: a shady looking assassin, a man in the armor of the Undead Legion who had come out of hiding after Athwulf left, the emissary of Lothric, Linus, and him, Joseph, apparently the bonfire had died out when the Lords and the Unkindled left, and it was nothing but ash now

The Knight sighed as he came walking down to the shrine, looking at the sword-less bonfire, but he stopped as he looked at the man in the undead legion armor, a deserter without doubt _"Who are you?"_ Joseph asked politely, although he had no appreciation for Deserters

 _The man stared at gun with empty and sad eyes, sighing as he waved at him_ _"My name is Hawkwood Of Farron, former Abyss Watcher, now nothing but a wretched unkindled in this cursed land… I damn the bell and the Fire Keeper for awakening me, I was so peaceful in my tomb, in the Afterlife, resting with no damn care for life… but now I find myself here among the cursed yet again, the shame of my treason following me yet again"_ _the man, Hawkwood, said with a tired tone, but still finding the strength to release a short, ironical laugh_

 _"And yet I would do that again, I still have the Carthus' Massacre engraved into my mind, thousands upon thousands of people died, and not all of them were guilty nor infected with the Abyss, and all for what? So we could stop an unstoppable force? So we could keep the fire going for a few centuries? Tell me, Unkindled, What is the purpose in all of that? The flame is destined to die anyways"_

 _Joseph stood in silence for a few moments, considering the man's word… maybe it was true, maybe the flame was destined to die, maybe it was all for nothing, maybe they should all just die again and let the Age Of Fire fade…. No, that was not the answer, he gently placed his hand on the man's shoulder and spoke_

 _"Friend, I understand your decision, and I can't say I blame you, the life of the Abyss Watchers is hard for what I've been told, but you must understand, why do we keep linking the fire? We do it so that countless generations enjoy the fire of the flame and civilization for centuries, maybe even a full Millennia, before the flame fades again, why let the flame fade when we can assure our children a better life and a better future, even if only for a tiny bit? If the flame is destined to fall, then destiny must be challenged and changed"_ _He said gently before patting the perplexed deserter in the back and walking towards the bonfire_

" _Welcome, Unkindled One, to the Shrine! I am the Fire Keeper, I tend to both the Flame and the Unkindled"_ She said in a warm voice as she approached him, looking at the once vigorous flame sadly _"It requires constant care, it took the powers of the Lord and of the Unkindled to keep it alive, but now that they have left, it has died… yet you hold the Coiled Sword, the one bestowed by a champion to Gundyr long ago, that fills my heart with warm, it will surely keep the bonfire alive for the time needed; Plunge the sword into the bonfire, Ashen one, the cinders will lead you to the Lords, to your former homeland: Lothric, where the lands of the Lords converge now that the flame fades"_ the Fire Keeper said as she knelt beside the cinder

With a grunt he raised the sword and then plunged it into the ashes of the former bonfire, the fire soon coming back miraculously and in a much more intense way than before, the warmth soon filled his body yet again as he sat down briefly to enjoy the rest, before standing up and walking towards the interior of the shrine, he had to explore after all

He heard some hammering as he entered a small hallway, a shirtless and old blacksmith with a prominent white bear and hair hammering away at an anvil, as he began walking towards him a voice stopped him, the knight turning around to face a old lady in red

" _Aaaaah! A new Unkindled arrives to the shrine! How curious! And this one isn't driven by personal vengeance, but by a true desire to link the Flame! How courageous and doubly curious! I am truly pleased to meet such a handsome young man with such a spirit! I am the Handmaid of this shrine, I help the Keeper tend the fire, in theory, but in practice I just sit here and give certain wares in exchange for souls"_ the old Handmaiden said with a crooked smile as she pointed at the wares around her, chuckling as she relaxed on her chair

She soon rummaged through her things before taking out a white stone, his eyes widened as he recognized it from his times as an Undead, a White Soapstone, a magical artefact he could use to summon and travel to other worlds " _Take the Soapstone as a gift of good will, it is hard to survive in this wretched world without help from fellow Unkindled, don't you think? Good luck, young man"_ She said, a wicked laugh escaping her lips

" _My Lady, you're the best, I will make sure to use this gift as best as I can and to bring you a great quantity of souls, madame"_ Joseph said while putting the soapstone in his bag, turning around to walk towards the Blacksmith, a mass of muscle and strength given to him by a lifetime of forging and repairing weapons and armors

" _Greetings! I am Blacksmith Andre Of Astora! Before you ask, Yes, I am THE Andre from the Legends of the Chosen Undead"_ The Blacksmith said with a friendly chuckle, and he was right, as soon as he heard the name Joseph was about to ask, of everyone in the shrine he was sure Andre was the best

" _A pleasure to meet such a Legend, I am Sir Joseph Of Lothric"_ Joseph said with a smile as he shook hands with the Blacksmith

" _Aye lad, If you need to repair your weapons or armor, bring them to me! If you need 'em sharpened, hardened and upgraded, bring them 'ere, if you ever find a Coal during your travels, bring it here and I will work on it! Oh and, lastly, if you find an Estus Shard, bring it here as well, and I will upgrade your Flask with it so you can carry more Estus, sounds good eh? And if you just wish to talk, then I got very good tales about The Chosen Undead and the old Age Of Fire… ah such good times"_ Andre said with a grin as he patted his back before going back to working

Joseph sighed in happiness as he walked around the Shrine, he was going to love his second chance… or rather third chance in life, and he was going to do what he failed to do: Link The Flame

But first, he needed to train, the Cemetery was filled with hollows, rough Unkindled, monsters and other nasty things, that would provide a good amount of souls

Then, he could truly become a Crusader Of Fire

 **A/N:** **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND THE EEEEEEEND!**

 **Not too exciting chapter, but it was decent I think!**

 **Next four chapters we will see the trips of the Lords Of Cinder to their homes and how they slowly decay to the situation they find themselves in when we find them**

 **And after that? DARK SOULS 3 TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

 **Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review and tell me how it is!**


	5. Corruption

_**A Crusade Of Fire**_

 _ **By Lucius RC**_

 _ **A/N:**_ **Greetings! Hope you're all having a quite good day!**

 **We are back for another chapter of A Crusade Of Fire! Today we are going to follow the trip of the Undead Legion Of Farron, The Abyss Watchers, back to their homeland of Farron and to Carthus, to face the terrible Wolnir and the Abyss-infected catacombs**

 **Also, before I begin, let me give a huge hug and thanks to all of you who have reviewed this story! Especially you,** **Cloak5,** **Your review was quite well written and constructive! The criticism made sense**

 **I've since edited Chapter 3, I did felt that it lacked something, copied dialogue from the game will be a big no from now on, since he is right: what makes this story great is that it doesn't sticks to the game 100%, it's a whole new adventure!**

 **Thanks again for your review, Cloak5, I really appreciate it!**

 **and for the other reviews:**

 **Masamunexyamato:** **Indeed! Dark Souls 3 lore is a massive mystery, so of course, most of the lore here will be born out of especulation... but hey! thats what the game is about, hope you finish the game soon and enjoy it!**

 **Guest1:** **Thanks you! I appreciate your enthusiasm!**

 **Togekiss The Rainbow:** **Thanks you! I would be interested in hearing more about this proposal of working together!**

 **rc48177:** **Thanks!**

 **Cosmic Guardian:** **Thanks you, Noble Ashen One! hope you didn't had too much trouble in defeating the final Boss!**

 **Guest2:** **Yeah, Expository Lore Dialogue is a bit far-fetched, I will try to stop it and try to hint more instead of fully showing it, altough I fear I am not too good at hinting stuff, but I will try my best!**

 **Derek:** **Why, thanks you! its always awesome to have a fan! and I use a Wolf Knight Greatsword+5 or a Irithyll Straight Sword +5, depending on wheter I want fast damage or slow but massive damage! most of the time I use the Greatsword or combine both styles! and what a coincidence! I answered that question in the A/N at the end of this chapter before your review, my favorite Boss is the Abyss Watchers as well! altough closely tied with Pontiff Sulyvhan**

 _ **Chapter 4: Corruption**_

" _Farron"_ Wolf Knight Athwulf said outloud as he looked at the poisonous and smelly swamp, filled to the top with giant trees and monsters, what remained of the old Farron

The Kingdom Of Farron was once the great kingdom of the land, founded and built upon the ruins of old Oolacile by the descendants of the survivors of the Abyss, led by the Great Wolf Farron, a descendant of the Great Wolf Sif, Artorias' faithful companion and friend

It had started as a small village where the survivors just did that, survive, but slowly and steadily, it began to grow until it was a full city, then a small nation, then a full-blown Kingdom, it centered around the continuity of Artorias' Legacy and the worship of the Wolf Blood

Ah, he still remember the glorious banners of the realm! A gray wolf and a black Greatsword on a blue background, how he remember those battles! When the glorious King Canilup led the great armies of Farron into war to subjugate other realms

When the Undead Curse appeared most kingdoms fell into Chaos and Disorder, overwhelmed by the Abyss, Hollows and Demons, but instead of hunting Undead, Farron took them and protected them, made them one of their own, and so the Undead Legion Of Farron was born

When the flame was linked by a powerful Lord and a new cycle started, Farron rose as the new power of the era, the equivalent of Anor Londo, Drangelic and Lothric, the greatest Kingdom of the Age

But then, after centuries of prosperity, Wolnir conquered the nearby Carthus and all went to hell

As the flame began to fade, the Undead Legion was beginning to make preparations to find a Lord to link it before the Abyss arrived, The Kingdom Of Farron was determined to last yet another Century, maybe they would even break the Cycle! Find a way to make the flame last forever and destroy the Abyss

But Wolnir invaded Farron and all the efforts of the Kingdom were sent to the war, as if it wasn't enough, Wolnir allied himself with the Abyss to gain more strength

And so the Legion came, Athwulf closed his eyes with a sigh as the memories of war came back to him

* * *

Athwulf hand trembled as he slowly pulled his Greatsword out of the woman's lifeless body before hardening his hearth and turning around to behead a young man trying to run away, barely a man! He was probably in his 15 or 14, it wasn't pretty, but it had to be done

These people were already infected with the Abyss

Some were innocent and clean, but there was no way of knowing that, sparing anyone would have been too risky, the Abyss hid too well, tired of the massacre the Legionnaire walked away from the field and glances at Wolfess Knight Ideva, the leader of the Undead Legion

" _Alpha Wolf Athwulf! Take your men to the Town Square, Wolnir's elite army has gathered for a last stand to defend the Castle, but I fear they've all been consumed by the abyss, we are going to take the Castle and execute Wolnir once and for all"_ She said with a growl, barely glancing at him before turning around and walking towards the Town square

All armies had ranks, and the Undead Legion was no exception, the Leader was the Wolf Knight, who wore an armor that was an identical replica to that of Artorias, and his legendary Wolf Knight Greatsword

Next where the _Alpha_ Wolves, who were the leaders of Packs, big group of Legionaries, then were the _Beta_ Wolves, who acted as Officers and helped the Alpha give orders, then the _Gamma_ Wolves, who led special groups in specific tasks, the _Deltas_ , who were the veteran Legionaries and finally there were the _Omegas_ , who were the newest recruits.

Athwulf tensed up and quickly placed his left fist on his chest and rose his sword, the usual salute of the Legion " _Yes, Wolfess Knight"_ He said obediently before turning around to gather his soldiers, it was going to be a long battle indeed, but soon the madness would be over and they could return home, to Farron…

* * *

The Wolf Knight almost laughed as he remember his naïve hopes, they never found High Lord Wolnir, who was responsible for the Abyss' return, and as such the Abyss kept spreading, Wolfess Knight Ideva died and Hollowed during the attack to Carthus Castle, and the Alphas voted for Athwulf to be the new Wolf Knight

He had tried it all, ALL! Purging kingdom after kingdom, but at the end the only option was clear, to link the flame, and so Farron and the Legion disappeared and a new Kingdom rose in the next Age, the glory of the Gray wolf and Black Greatsword banner fading into history

Nevertheless, Athwulf was quite satisfied with the result: the Abyss had been stopped and the Fire linked to last for another era, and now the Flame was threatened yet again, and The Undead Legion had the duty to stop it… maybe, just maybe, they could stop the Abyss completely now, and revive the Kingdom Of Farron…. Maybe

" _Wolf Knight Athwulf!"_ An excited and young voice said, almost causing Athwulf to fall from his chair in surprise, his heart rate going up as he stared at the Legionarie, recognizing him as Canis, the newest recruit of the group

Part of the effort to revive the Undead Legion and bring it to this new age, Athwulf had recruited a few Undead to form part of the Legion, fresh blood to begin anew, the Wolf Knight knew that the time of those who linked the flame was already over and that they would burn and go back to the Afterlife when the Flame was relinked, and as such he had begun recruiting people from the current era to continue the legacy of Artorias once the Old Legion was gone

" _You're stealthy, Omega Canis, your training is going well"_ Athwulf said with a nod as he stood up, eyeing the Omega up and down " _You look tired, what news do you bring?"_

" _Sir, Alpha Sterl has reported success in his expedition, he has found a strange tribe of Goat-men who kneeled before us as soon as they saw our armor, they speak Farron's Language, they claim to be the descendants of the people of the Kingdom… despite their strange and hideous appearance, they are untouched by the Abyss"_ Canis said as he saluted, placing his left arm and fist on his chest and rising his sword forward

" _Excellent!"_ Athwulf barked as he stood up, returning the salute and walking out of the small ruined tower he had converted into his headquarters _"Recall all the expeditions back, we are going deeper into the swamp, these goat-people will surely be of help!"_

They called themselves the Ghru, hideous goat-like people with purple and gray skin, luckily they were friendly and untouched by the Abyss, and Canis had been right, they seemed to worship the Legionaries as Gods or at least mythological Heroes, and they did spoke Farron's old dialect, so Athwulf was quick to strike an alliance with them

The whole Ghru Tribe and the Abyss Watchers, a quite decent army to begin with, although the Ghru were badly armed and Athwulf didn't really trusted in the idea of sending them to Carthus with them, not even as cannon fodder, better to let them guard the flank and stay in the swamp

With the help of the Ghru, they found and settled The Abyss Watcher's Mausoleum in a couple of days, how good it felt to be at home again! Nostalgia hit him as he looked at his men, training their techniques with the Greatsword and Dagger, oh what a bitch duty was! He would do anything to go back to his old life…but someone had to link the flame

Thanks to the Convolution of Time in the land, the entrance to the Catacombs was right below the Mausoleum, a small set of stairs leading down towards it from behind an Altar that had been consecrated to Artorias

Early in the morning, the Abyss Watchers gathered in front of the staircase, with Wolf Knight Athwulf leading the march, he turned to face his Legion with a harsh look on his face, only seeing pointy helmets all around him _"Carthus, the place where the Abyss returned, we thought that the Abyss had died when The Four Kings were killed by the Chosen Undead several Ages ago, when the Bearer Of The Curse killed the Daughters Of Manus, but then came Wolnir, and in his lust for power he allied himself with the Abyss and brought it back to our world… Sons Of Artorias, it is time to end what your father started, Wolnir is the new Manus, the Heir of the Abyss, and as such he must be destroyed, This ends now! Undead Legion Of Farron, Abyss Watchers, Forward!"_ He shouted, rising his weapon and marching to the Catacombs below

* * *

The Skeleton's bones were pulverized as his Greatsword descended upon it, breaking it apart and grinding the bones into dust, true to his technique he flipped in the air to avoid the sword of a big skeleton, the remnants of one of Carthus' legendary swordsmen, despite being nothing but abyss-powered husks now, they still kept their might

He landed with his sword right in the Swordsman's chest, bringing both of them to the ground heavily and heavily wounding the skeleton, Athwulf ending its misery by crushing the red-eyed skull under his foot, he span to cut a normal skeleton in two and then turned around to behead a Swordsman

He gave a quick glance to his fellow Legionaries, this had been a hard battle, the first battle they had engaged in after awakening, they had lost a few Legionaries so far but, true to their name, the Undead Legion rose again from the most nearby bonfire and sprung back into battle

They were deep into the catacombs after hours of fighting, countless Skeletons had fallen before their might, but some of the Legionaries didn't rose again, hollowing and dying definitely, their souls freed from the Wolf Blood, and some of the Legionaries got lost in the Catacombs

But most remained together like a Pack of Wolves, cooperating to take down the hardest, tearing them apart like sheep, but then they found Darkwraiths, the infamous knights of the ancient and fallen New Londo, where the Kingdom Of Londor now stood, without doubt they came here to try and slay them…. They tried

But sheer numbers and power just made it impossible to kill them all, Athwulf laughing as he impaled the gut of a Darkwraith and lifting him over his shoulder to crash him into another one, his greatsword cutting them both in half, and soon another body joined the mound as he sliced one's stomach open and then beheaded him

They were so close to Wolnir now! He could feel him in his bones, he could feel him, all the Legion could feel him as they got deeper and deeper into the catacombs

We were so foolish to think that feeling was a good thing

Athwulf couldn't explain it, no one could, even the mages of the Legion couldn't, but Wolnir's influence was somehow getting to them… some of the Abyss Watchers got red eyes and began attacking their very own compatriots, taking many with them before being hacked apart

It was like a pandemic, and the Wolf Knight growled as the realization hit him: they were careless, hadn't taken the necessary protections to defend against the Abyss, and had subestimated Wolnir… and now the Undead Legion was infected as well

" _RETREAT! BACK TO THE MAUSOLEUM! RETREAT!"_ Athwulf shouted desperately as he turned around and began marching through the way he came, the Abyss Watchers following him… but complaining, fighting each other, questioning HIS orders! Nobody had questioned him seriously before, how they dared?!

The March back to the Mausoleum was arduous, besides the countless Skeletons and Darkwraiths, they now had to fight themselves, more than once a fellow Watcher fell to the abyss and was put down by their friends, not before taking several with them

Athwulf had killed one of his own men, impaled his chest with his greatsword, stared into the red eyes of Beta Irsol, a fellow friend and war brother… and he had died by his hand

And now a great guilt and anger invaded him

As they slowly returned to the Mausoleum, their numbers greatly reduced, the argument escalated _"All of us who linked the flame share one soul, one very powerful soul, the soul of a Lord! We may retain our individualism, but we are tied to that Soul until we die! How is it fair for Athwulf to hoard it all for himself?!"_ One Watcher, a Gamma, said with a growl before being punched in the face by Athwulf

" _STAND DOWN, LEGIONARIE! DON'T FORGET I AM THE WOLF KNIGHT!"_ he shouted in rage, and arguing voices filled the room

The Infection didn't stopped there, several men fell to the abyss even there and began fighting, in the confusion of the argument everyone drew arms and began hacking away at each other, be it friend or foe, it had all descended to a full blown free for all battle, a battle for survival, a battle for the Soul

Athwulf didn't knew how many time had passed, he didn't knew why he was even swinging his sword anymore, he had died, died more than once, several times, and yet he kept raising again and returning to the fight, consuming that drug, the Green Blossom, popular among his men for making fatigue and soreness disappear almost instantly, to keep fighting

The Knight didn't even recognized who he was killing now, he had lost his mind long ago, now fully focused on keeping the soul _"Mine, its mine, the Soul is mine, MINE!"_ he shouted as he hacked away at a Beta Legionarie and howled like a Wolf

A small pain in his conscience startled him, had he, Wolf Knight Athwulf, really failed and fell too low? He had let Wolnir win, he had let the Abyss win, he had let himself spiral out of control, he had broken his Oath

As he was thinking a heavy sword cracked his skull opened, and he rose from the dead after a while, growling

What was he thinking before? He didn't cared, the Soul was his

The Soul of the Undead Legion of Farron, The Abyss Watchers, was His

The Soul Of The Abyss Watchers Was His

THE SOUL OF THE WATCHERS WAS HIS

THE SOUL WAS HIS

THE SOUL! ALL THAT MATTERED WAS THE SOUL!

Who was he? He didn't know, he didn't cared, THE SOUL! HE MUST KEEP THE SOUL! Who were these people he was fighting with? He didn't recognized any of them, only enemies trying to get his soul, HIS SOUL! HIS! ONLY HIS!

THE SOUL WAS HIS!

THE SOUL!

 **A/N:** **Well now, that was fun to write! Very fun to write indeed, I really enjoyed this**

 **Probably because I absolutely love the Abyss Watchers, my top three Bosses are 3.- Deacons Of The Deep(easy as hell, but I really loved the concept and the image of an army of monks trying to kill you) 2.- Pontiff Sulyvhan(Epic soundtrack, epic concept, epic looking boss, epic attacks, epic lore, in a way that guy is almost the Antagonist of the game, since so many areas and bosses are directly tied to him) 1.- The Abyss Watchers**

 **I just really love the Abyss Watchers, I love them**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, fellow readers! Lucius RC out! See ya next chapter, where we will look at Yhorm's return to his capital; It won't be a very long chapter, I plan to keep it short, tragic and dramatic**

 **See you! Don't forget to review! Reviews really help keep things going!**


	6. Empty Halls, Empty Streets

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 ** _A/N:_** ** _Welcome again, dear readers, to a Crusade Of Fire!_**

 ** _*SPOILER* I've finally beaten Dark Souls III, I've killed the Soul Of Cinder and Linked the First Flame! *SPOILER*_**

 ** _Well in truth I had done that since the previous chapter, but I forgot to mention it! Anyways lets answer a few reviews:_**

 ** _RC: Hah! Yeah, the Deacons get a lot of hate but I think they are a quite nice boss, a perfect mob boss if you ask me, improved the concept of Mob Bosses of Dark Souls 2(they were either too easy or too hard in 2) in short, Deacons is easily the best Group/Mob boss in the whole Series!_**

 ** _Cloak5: Mhm! I killed all bosses, optional and mandatory, the last one I killed was the Nameless King of course, he was a total pain in the ass, It took me several days to beat him, and I remember one time he was at one fraction of a hit from dying, but I got greedy and… yeha, I died : ( but at the end I killed him!_**

 ** _Derek: Farronbro! Welcome back! Thanks you for all the support! And to answer your question, I don't really want to give spoilers, but yes, the Nameless King is going to play a Big, BIG role in this story, that's all I will say!_**

 ** _Today we are going to follow Yhorm The Giant as he returns to his profaned Capital and realized what he has done in depth now, this is going to be, well, I will try to make this as Tragic and Dramatic as possible, so help me and imagine a sad music while reading this! Btw, since we have little to no information regarding the name of the Profaned Capital, its culture or anything other than it was very rich and prosperous, and underground, I will call it The Empire or The Capital from now on_**

 ** _Lets begin!_**

 ** _Chapter 5: Empty Halls, Empty Streets_**

The glorious capital of his Empire laid in ruins before his eyes

Yhorm stood silent in the main entrance, or what remained of it, to the great Capital, HIS capital, the capital of HIS people... completely in ruins, not a single soul in sight

He stared at the gigantic Iron Gate that protected the main entrance and the wall; It was nothing but mere rubble now, the charred bodies of his people now sticking into the rubble, he was surprised to see that they were still hot as magma, such was the power of the First Flame and the Profaned Flame combined

Yhorm advanced forward with a great cry of anguish, his whole body burning a bright orange as embers flied into the air, the streets shaking as he entered the ruins of his Civilization, of his Empire, the remnants of the great rule of Lord Yhorm

He looked down at himself with disgust as he traversed the streets, he was a monster, simple as that! A merciless, ruthless, horrible monster, the worst of the worst, even lower than the scum of the slums! HE WAS A DAMN MONSTER!

With a roar he collapsed to his knees once he came face to face with a section of the city that had completely disappeared, nothing but a hole remaining of it by now, it used to be a great mine and a stone valley crowded with houses both big and small… and now it had all been reduced to nothingness, not even a slight sign of it ever existing, only his memories

He stood to leave but, after walking a few steps, he collapsed again, this time on all fours as he looked at a massive amount of dead, burnt bodies in one of the Plazas of the City, an innumerable amount of arms and legs spurting out of the mass, he… he had done this, with the fire of the Flames and his Machete, he had done this

" _I… I am sorry"_ he said as he crawled towards the mound of bodies and placed his hand and head against it, ignoring the intense heat coming from it " _I am sorry, I am… sorry… why… why Did I do this? Why didn't you escaped? Oh I am so sorry, so so sorry…"_ He said and, to his surprise, he found himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time: crying

He raised his head to look around the city while still hugging the mound of bodies, all the buildings were collapsed, only some selected few remained standing, but the rest? Rubble, endless valleys of rubble and bodies was all he could see, and he released a moan of regret as he stood up

His whole soul was at pain, he felt like he had been stabbed a thousand times with poisoned daggers, he felt WORSE than that for crying outloud! His own people, murdered by the hand of THEIR VERY OWN RULER!

With a sob he leant forward to touch a broken statue of himself, the memories soon assaulting him

* * *

" _Yhorm! Yhorm!"_ A small child said with delight as he ran towards the Giant lord, who was walking the streets and watching his people, Yhorm smiled as he knelt beside the youngling and carefully caressed his face with his massive hands, oh how he loved his people! Specially the children, they were the ones who were more delighted of seeing him

A lot of people didn't trusted him, and they would never do, they judged him behind his back and cursed his name, but he didn't cared, some of the population still loved him, and he loved all of them back, even if the feeling wasn't mutual

He petted the head of the child one last time before standing up and continuing to walk until he arrived to the Grand Imperial Academy, one of his Court Wizards quickly walking out to receive him _"Lord Yhorm! What a surprise! It is an honor to have our King here!_ " the Wizard said in a delighted voice, bowing to him

" _Magic and Sorcery are what makes this Empire great, we have the best sorcerers in the whole world! Not even the Dragon School of Vinheim can rival our magical power"_ Yhorm said with a proud smile, he was wearing golden robes and a massive golden crown with countless jewels crafted into it, the proper attire of the Lord of such a rich land indeed!

" _I would love to see a small demonstration of what your students have learned, my friend, they will surely love to show their worth to their Lord!"_ the Giant said as he looked at the academy and sighed happily

* * *

Yhorm had been walking while in his memories, and he stood face to face with what used to be the Academy, he blinked a few times as he stood in front of its ruins, he wasn't surprised to see that such a monumental and strong building was still intact, a bit ruined and collapsed in some parts, but intact for most of the part

But completely and utterly desolated, and surrounded by a great swamp… he roared as he looked at all the monstrosities in the swamp running towards him: they looked like women with spider-like limbs and long hair, not even a small match for him!

" _LEAVE MY CITY ALONE, WRETCHED CREATURES!"_ Yhorm shouted as he raised his foot to stomp into one of the beasts, crushing it effectively, he roared again as he slashed his machete in a huge ark, completely obliterating most of the monsters before grabbing the extra notch of his weapon and beginning to grind the remaining ones into paste, bringing back memories of war

* * *

" _BEGONE, INVADERS! FOR THE CAPITAL'S RICHES ARE NOT FOR YOU!"_ Yhorm shouted as he planted his Greatshield firmly in the ground just in time to halt a barrage of arrows coming from the enemy archers and the frenetic storm of swords from the infantry, but most of those in the frontlines were crushed as he charged with his greatshield, staining it in blood

He lifted his greatshield and instead began slashing and swinging with his Machete, cutting down several enemies and roaring as he advanced, he was a One Man Army, but his own army was waiting in the walls for a sign in case Yhorm needed help, but in no time the invading army retreated

" _Fools, You will never set foot in the Profaned Capital"_ Yhorm said as he stared at the fleeing army, his armor and weapons stained in blood and the land around him surrounded by crushed bodies

* * *

Yhorm grunted as he laid on his knees on the swamp, countless bodies of those strange Spider Women, Hollows and other creatures staining the water with blood, his own armor covered in blood and organs just like in his memories, oh he felt a small sting of pride when he thought of that promise: no invader managed to set foot on the Capital… it was destroyed from the inside by its very leader

But Yhorm's attention was elsewhere now, looking at that horrible creature slowly and lazily walking towards him, it looked like a big hippopotamus with a hairy hand as a face, he knew that creature, he knew their symbolism, _Monstrosities Of Sin_ , or so did his Scholars and Priests told him, beasts that appeared where the most horrendous and unthinkable sins had occurred

The worst sins

And they were there, mocking him, punishing him by their mere presence in the City, he wasn't even surprised by them, he had committed the worst sins of all: mass slaughter and treason to his very own people, the people he had sworn to protect! The Giant easily crushed the beast with his Machete before walking away, sobbing and looking around the city

It was once a great Empire, the Capital of a great Empire, HIS Empire, centuries ago his ancestor had conquered the land, and they had asked him, Yhorm The Giant, to become the Lord of the Empire to unite it and make it strong, and he had accepted the Crown and became the Lord Of The Imperial Capital

Oh the prosperity and fortune he brought to the Empire! Even now he could see it as he walked towards his Imperial Palace, shattering a Gargoyle and throwing one off a cliff as he walked, the Empire was the most powerful and rich nation in the land! Endless amount of gold and silver were mined every day and used to increase the prosperity of the city

But alas, they discovered the Profaned Flame deep inside the mines, and at first they tought of it as a blessing, since it gave great power… but it only brought tragedy, it began expanding and making the city unstable, so much that eventually he had to link the Flame to end it

But both flames burned the City to the ground with his help… if it wasn't for him, the Empire would still be glorious and ruling to this very day! Lothric would be nothing but a mere vassal to it! BUT HE HAD DESTROYED THE CITY! HE HAD DESTROYED IT!

He growled as he saw the priestess in white robes guarding the entrance to his Palace, those women were cursed, during his rule he had tried his hardest to destroy them, but they all resisted so damn hard… and now he found pleasure in crushing them under his feet as he advanced forward

At last, he arrived to his Throne Room…. The molding bodies were even more numerous there, the walls being covered in them… and his eyes darted towards the sword and the body at the foot of his Throne, the body was charred beyond recognition, but the sword he recognized: one of the two Storm Rulers, his only weakness… a poor soul had tried to face him to end his rampage and save the city, but had failed

If only that soul had succeeded

He slowly walked towards the throne and looked at it, a massive throne fit for a Giant, depicting screaming men holding his weight… he slowly sat down on it and placed the Machete by his side, slumping down on the Throne and placing his face between his hands, staying silent for a moment before slowly beginning to cry

His people… they were all gone

 **A/N: DONE!  
**

 **I kinda feet like this chapter was kinda weak, but well, at least its done! I really didn't knew what to write, but finally its here!**

 **Next chapter should be far more exciting, we are traveling to Irithyll and Anor Londo to see how Aldrich and Sulyvhan fare!**

 **Sorry for the delay btw, next chapter will come out in a couple of days or less as a compensation!**


	7. The Deep Lord

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 ** _A/N:_** ** _Hello there! Hope you're ready for a new chapter of a Crusade Of Fire!_**

 ** _This Chapter we will delve into Aldrich's return to Irithyll and Anor Londo, as well as Pontiff Sulyvhan and his sinister plans! Also, for you to picture the starting scene better, the song the Choir is singing is basically the Soundtrack of Deacons Of The Deep and Pontiff Sulyvhan boss fights mixed_**

 ** _Now, to answer some reviews:_**

 ** _RC: Hoh! That strategy sounds quite good, I should try it sometimes! A shame that I just killed the Deacons Of The Deep in NG before seeing this review : ( but hey! Charging like a madman and hacking away at everything that moves is much more fun!_**

 ** _Derek: Yeah, I felt that too, it lacked the epicness of other chapters and most of the emotion, I just couldn't give Yhorm a good personality : ( and the lack of lore of the Profaned Capital also made it hard, I hope that in future chapters I can give him a better personality, and oh? I would love to hear more about lore! Most of the lore I've found on him points towards him being the Firstborn, but I've never heard of him attacking the Abyss! I would love to hear more about it_**

 ** _Cosmic Guardian: Indeed, I feel exactly the same! Damn ungrateful bastards, I feel so bad when I kill Yhorm…. All of the Lords Of Cinder fights are so tragic and nostalgic… except Aldrich, fuck Aldrich, I love to kill that bastard_**

 ** _Togekiss: Why thanks you! And I did considered adding Siegward or referencing him, but at the end couldn't find a way to, but, as Ludleth says: Freth not, Freth not! For Siegward will appear soon enough!_**

 ** _With those lovely reviews answered, lets begin!_**

 ** _FORWARD!  
_**

 **Chapter 6: The Cathedral**

The strong and loud voice of the singing Choir filled the building as Pontiff Sulyvhan entered through the massive doors holding a golden candlestick with burning black candles on his hands, Aldrich scanned his old friend through the eyes of Gwyndolin as he advanced, the usual decorated and ornate white robes, the metal helmet and the crown that depicted roots, and the twin Greatswords sheathed safely on his belt

Archdeacon Royce walked a bit behind Sulyvhan, holding both his long scepter and a candlestick of his own, The Devourer noticed that the other two Archdeacons were missing, a shame! He always thought Mcdonnel or Klimt would be the ones to survive, but alas, it appeared that the fragile human with the long white beard was the only one who lived and remained faithful to him

The Deacons of the Deep advanced in a procession behind the two leaders of the Church, all of them attired in their purple and red robes and with golden candlesticks on their hands, singing the Hymns dedicated to Him alongside the Choir as they walked, and further behind them several women, mostly fat, old and attired in black and white robes advanced, the Evangelists of the Cathedral

At the end of the procession the muscle of the Church advanced, the thin and cold Pontiff Knights, with their golden crowns and curved swords, the Cathedral Knights in their extremely heavy armor and weapons, and finally his Faithful, several Undead warriors and heroes who had taken the sacred duty to defend Aldrich in the Cathedral

" _Ah, how I missed this…"_ Aldrich muttered to himself as he looked at the benches now, all the important people of Irithyll kneeling in front of the benches to adore him, and he could see the fire of countless candles outside the Cathedral, where all the common people of the frozen city had gathered to worship their God

He had to admit that the only reason he had spared Sulyvhan's of his revengeful wrath was this, the ability to presence and feel one of the rituals in his honor yet again, he looked forward to the end of it, when all the presents would offerSouls to him, as well as several spells to strengthen him and his powers… although when it all ended, the Pontiff would need a REALLY good excuse if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins

The black mass that was his body began writhing and squirming, his own version of flinching, as he remembered the sin of the Pontiff, how had he dared?! He trusted the bastard, but he tricked him and forced him to become a Lord, they were supposed to end the Fire, not to extend it! But he had to be so foolish and short-sighted, he was blinded by his hunger… but he had learned from his mistakes, and they wouldn't be repeated again

He was brought back from his daydreaming as the procession began depositing their Candleholders in a circle around him before they all knelt in a circle around him, beginning to chant as Sulyvhan advanced forward with a big vessel in his hands, designed to look like the legendary Lordvessel that was lost long ago, only this this Vessel was dark-colored and for a completely different purpose

The Pontiff raised his hand to and a big, strong glowing soul appeared in his hands _"For you, Saint Aldrich, the soul of Sir Virdos, a quite powerful and influential Royal Knight of Lothric, one of the mayor leaders of the kingdom in the Prince's absence! He was killed recently, so the soul is still fresh, just as you like"_ Sulvhan said in his usual calm and cheerful voice, before lighting a fire in the Vessel using a pyromancy and casting the soul into it, Aldrich giving a small nod using Gwyndolin's body as a response and raising his hand to grant a small aura on Sulyvhan's head, his Blessing

The ritual took hours, every member of the procession offering souls, gifts, artefacts, Humanity sprites, Estus, and several other things and taking a few minutes to speak to him before being granted the Blessing of the Devourer Of Gods, time always flew when he did rituals, especially if they were in his Honor, he didn't learn until the end of it that the ritual had taken a whole week to complete, and that all the people of Irithyll had participated in it, except the slaves, who loathed him

But Aldrich wasn't even tired, he had slumbered for a whole Age after all, and as he took the Vessel with Gwyndolin's hands and absorbed the power of all offerings made to him, the need for rest disappeared completely and he felt powerful, more powerful than usual, oh how he loved the power!

Only Pontiff Sulyvhan, Archdeacon Royce, Maria the Head Evangelist and Sir Voreas of the Pontifical Knights remained by now, and Aldrich, after finishing his meal, rose in his full glory to speak to all of them _"Step forward, Sir Voreas, and tell me how the war with Lothric fares"_ He said in his deep and powerful voice, using the mouth of the Dark Sun to speak, he had only recently learned about all that had happened during his slumber: the war against Lothric, the fading of the Flame, the rise of Londor… and the return of the Lords Of Cinder

Sir Voreas advanced forward and knelt before him, he was a man in the usual attire of the Pontifical Knights, but more decorated and ornate, a bigger crown on his head _"Oh most glorious Saint, We hold the advantage in the current war, the Outrider Knights and our Armies have overrun most of Lothric, the fools are caught in their little civil war even now and our Knights are all over the place, our soldiers control several strategical points, Sir Vordt stands guard in the High Wall to ensure no reinforcements arrive and that nobody goes out, The Dancer stands guard in the entrance to the Castle, thus ensuring the Prince doesn't escapes, and we have Knights stationed in the Grand Archives and deep inside the Castle, in no time all of Lothric will be ours and the Princes will be yours to Devour"_ the Knight said proudly while kneeling, Aldrich smiling pleasantly and granted Voreas his blessing before dismissing him, beaconing Maria next

The fat lady knelt before him and smiled at him before speaking _"Lord Aldrich, The Cathedral completely dominates the Undead Settlement and most other villages and settlements of the Kingdom, that ensures that your domain will be secured, the Age Of The Deep will soon arrive!"_ she said proudly

" _Perfect, several Unkindled will surely pass through the Settlements, so make sure that none of them makes it out of there, I don't want a single unkindled who isn't one of my Faithful to reach Anor Londo, leave for the Settlement and continue evangelizing the population… Archdeacon Royce, your task will be the same, guard the Cathedral and watch my Coffin… and ensure the Abominations are contained"_ Aldrich said, granting both of them His blessing… and soon only him and Sulyvhan remained

" _Ah, Sulyvhan, looks like you have taken care of my domain so well… hah! You even took the crown and ruled supreme without even trying to bring me back, you bastard"_ Aldrich said once they were completely alone in the Cathedral, beginning to slither like a snake towards the Pontiff, who nevertheless remained completely calm and undisturbed

" _Aldrich my old friend! Surely you don't think that I am doing this out of power and ambition? You are the Saint of the Deep, you are no fool!"_ Sulyvhan said with an almost paternal chuckle as he advanced forward _"I took the heavy burden of the crown and the massive strain of power not for personal ambition, but to serve you and the Deep! Surely you didn't expect me to let Irithyll fall into anarchy?"_ the Pontiff said as, to Aldrich's surprise, he placed his hand on his body and patted it

The Devourer was truly in a loss of words, he knew of Sulyvhan's serpent tongue and had known It for many years, yet it never ceased to amuse him, he almost trusted his words, almost _"If that's so, if you wished to serve me so much, then WHY DID YOU TRICKED ME INTO BURNING AS FUEL TO THE FLAME AND BECOMING A LORD OF CINDER?! YOU BETRAYED THE DEEP BY FORCING ME TO PROLONG THE AGE!"_ He said, lumbering over the Pontiff, a massive blade made of Deep magic appeared in His hands as he looked at Sulyvhan fiercely

" _ALDRICH! What is that attitude? You're the Saint of the Deep, the Devourer of Gods, don't be stupid! Surely someone of your power should act differently! Can't you see the Glory of my plan? Can't you see the bigger picture?!"_ Sulyvhan said with a grunt, finally backing away and placing his hands on his swords, and Aldrich slowly lowered his own blade to hear him out

" _I casted you into the flames so we could be ready for the Deep! It was necessary to prolong the Age for a last time! And you were the most powerful being on the land, the only one who would ensure that this Age continued for a massive amount of time, we weren't ready back then for the Age Of The Deep! But we are now! We have made all preparations, as soon as you finish devouring Gwyndolin and all the remaining Unkindled and Lords of Cinder, you will devour the First Flame as well, and you will devour the Great Souls of the Gods that were lost long ago, you will devour the remnants of the Ancient Dragons, and you will devour the Abyss and, with your immense power, you will bring forward the Age Of The Deep, the Age of deep and murky seas! And your faithful servants will follow you and you will reign eternally!"_ Sulyvhan said, slowly beginning to walk towards Aldrich until he was face to face with him

Aldrich considered devouring the man right there… but… his words made sense, he may have a silver tongue but it all made sense, yes… he would be the supreme god! He would be omnipotent, he would rule the Age Of The Deep! The curse of the Cycle would disappear forever… but Sulyvhan was too dangerous, he would have to disappear as soon as his purpose was meet, after that he would devour him, absorb his power, and rule supreme!

Little did he know, the same thoughts passed through the Pontiff's mind as well

" _So be it then, I forgive you and let you live… for now, the true enemy lays not within ourselves, but outside, in the First Flame and in the Abyss, but I do have a last question for you, my good friend… why, after all this time, when numerous kings and queens have fallen in Lothric… you are still alive and well?"_ Aldrich said as he looked at him curiously

A loud laughter filled the church as Sulyvhan removed his mask, revealing the face of old man with white short hair and a white full beard, before he rose his hand and showed him a ring, Aldrich recognized those rings, they came from the Hollow Kingdom, from Londor… the Pontiff removed the ring and his face changed to that of a Undead

" _You see, my old friend, The Curse isn't exactly a Curse when you have a clear purpose… and by the time the Deep comes, I shall not hollow, for the Cycle will be dead"_ Sulyvhan said with a crocked smile before putting back the ring, his face coming back

" _Truly, you're wretched… I shall depart for the ruined Cathedral of Anor Londo, and there I will finish devouring Gwyndolin, I expect Prince Lothric and Lorian, as well as all the Unkindled and Lords of Cinder you can gather, to be waiting to be devoured by the time I am done, farewell"_ Aldrich said, sickened by the man he once considered his friend before beginning to slither away, towards Anor Londo

" _Farewell, my friend, Farewell… may the Deep bless you"_ Pontiff Sulyvhan said with a smile and a wink before placing his mask and crown back into his head _"and may you enjoy your last meals"_

 **A/N: THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEND**

 **Now, I really loved how this chapter ended! Specially the scene of the Ritual to strengthen Aldrich, I loved it! The Deep and all its ramification has intrigued me a lot ever since I got the name, I don't love them like I love the Abyss Watchers, its more like the attraction you feel towards a badass villain! You love the way they look and the concept, but hate them a lot**

 **Pontiff Sulyvhan and Aldrich were the bosses I most enjoyed killing, they are both so wretched and evil… its pleasurable to stick swords up their asses! You know, most guys have a lot of problems with Sulyvhan and Aldrich, but I found no problem with them tbh, killed the Pontiff in my fourth try and Aldrich in my second**

 **And at the same time, most people didn't had any troubles at all with the Crystal Sages, yet it took me a shitton of hours to be able to defeat him!**

 **Anyways, next chapter we will see Sir Joseph begin his journey across Lothric and the Lands of the Lords to link the First Flame, the major plot will begin appearing in these upcoming chapters, so buck your belts and get your refreshments! For the real fun is about to start!**

 **And you will get quite a big and unexpected surprise next chapter!**

 **See you next time!  
**


	8. The Crusader

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 **First of all, I am extremely sorry for the big delay on this chapter! weeks of waiting is a lot, and I apologize, I have been busy but what matters is that I am back and ready for more!**

 **Lets answer some reviews:**

 **Cosmic Guardian:** **Its gonna take a while for big stuff to happen, after all, an Undead begins his journey weak and with a small soul, every undead must gain strength before facing evil! But yeah, big stuff is gonna happen**

 **Togekiss:** **That's a quite interesting theory! I never thought of it that way, but now that I see it that way it does makes a lot of sense! Heh, thanks you for that theory! I am sure it will help improve this story's lore**

 **Derek:** **Indeed! If there is a villain in all the Souls series it is without a doubt Pontiff Sulyvhan! Evil and Machiavellian bastard, although such a badass fight! And I got the To Link The Fire ending, I always go for it! After all, I always roleplay my character as a defender of the fire and enemy of the dark! Although I think I will try that ending with another chapter**

 **Anyways, with that answered, lets go to the chapter!**

 **Today we will finally begin our adventure and Sir Joseph will begin his Pilgrimage to return the Lords to their thrones! And as a compensation for the time I was absent, this chapter will be extra long**

 **Chapter 7: The Crusader**

Joseph's eyes meet Hawkwood's fiery stare in the middle of his swing, the claymore breaking the guard of the deserter and causing him to stumble, leaving a wide opening for the Knight's dagger to find its way to his stomach, using the momentum he pushed the former Legionnaire to the ground and finished him off with a devastating slash to his head, breaking his chainhood and splitting his skull in two, killing him instantly

Joseph groaned as he removed his helmet and fell to his knees, cleaning the sweat away from his bronze skin and spitting blood into the ground as he stood up, throwing both the dagger and the claymore to the ground and looking at the bonfire, where the deserter stood yet again without a scratch in his body, slowly beginning to approach him with his Greatsword and Shield at hand before embracing him _"Joseph, you've improved my friend"_

Joseph and Hawkwood had been training together ever since the Unkindled had arrived to the Shrine, giving a new purpose to the Deserter's existence and as such keeping him a step away from hollowing, and at the same time greatly improving Joseph's own fighting capabilities with a wide array of weapons, although sadly the training was mainly basic due to lack of time

The Unkindled grinned as he hugged back, patting the man's back before breaking the embrace and looking at the weapons on the ground _"The Legion's sword technique is certainly too tiring for me, I will never move with a greatsword the way you do…but hey, I do like the greatsword more than the straight sword after our training"_ Joseph said with a short chuckle as he picked up his special greatswordsword from the ground, admiring its design

the hilt and handle of the sword were colored a fiery red with an orange jewel placed on the center of it, the steel blade was long and heavy but still usable, several orange runes inscripted into it in the style of the orange messages that sometimes appeared to guide and help him, _"Firecrusader"_ it read, the name of the sword

Forged by Andre with a quality steel combined with a generous amount of Twinkling Titanite from the Blacksmith's personal treasure, and Demon Titanite from a colossal crystal lizard Joseph had found while training in the cemetery, and made stronger by Ludleth, who used some basic soul transposition from a decayed and ancient Kiln he had, forged using a part of Joseph's very own soul

He was permanently tied to that longsword for as long as this adventure lasted, and he had to admit that he was more than happy with that situation, after all the sword was quite good-looking and certainly powerful

 _"_ _Ashen One, I am sorry to interrupt, but you cannot remain here any longer"_ The Firekeeper, who had just arrived from visiting the Bell tower, said as she approached the bonfire with a sad and melancholic look on her face _"Wolf Knight Athwulf and the Abyss Watchers haven't returned to their Thrones, and they never falter in their duty, I fear something horrible has happened to them, the flame is fading even as we speak… it is fading even more quickly than in other cycles"_ she said as she slowly sat beside the bonfire

 _"_ _I am afraid I must agree, Unkindled, in my Cycle the fire took a lot of time to fade, when I reached the First Flame it was still burning with great strength, and the time wasn't as convoluted as it is now... I am afraid something bad is happening, worse than we have ever experienced, whole Kingdoms have been pulled here, whole kingdoms! And the undead curse is rampaging with great strength, and then we have the Unkindled, Undead who do not Hollow and have the powers of the Lords Of Cinder… we may be seeing the end of fire"_ Ludleth said in a grave voice as he looked at the bonfire as well

 _"_ _That will not happen"_ Joseph said as he looked at both the Firekeeper and the only remaining Lord Of Cinder _"The Cycle must go on, the fire must be linked and the darkness stopped… but I am not ready, I just need a few more souls, a few more training and I will be ready to go! I can't link the flame and find the Lords if I am weak"_ Joseph said as he looked down at his armor, all the time he was there only served to make his sword, his armor was still low-quality and decayed

 _"_ _My friend, do you really think us Lords set out to conquer our lands and link the fire with glorious armies and shining armors? Gwyn The First Lord had to fight the Everlasting Dragons before getting his kingdom, and then had to fight the Demons of Izalith, the legendary Chosen Undead worked his way through countless deaths and endless undead hordes and demons to reach the Flame, the good Solaire had to fight the Dark Lord to stop him from snuffing the Flame; And look at me boy! I was a crippled old man before being a Lord, armed with nothing but my wits and my arts… all of us Lords started just like you, with weak souls and broken weapons, but with great determination, persistence and a will of steel, have that and thou shalt be a Lord"_ Ludleth said with a laugh and a paternal smile, looking directly at the Unkindled's eyes from above _"leave now, Sir Joseph Of Lothric, for any minute you delay your duty is another minute less to the world, you are already ready, leave! And may the flames guide you"_

Joseph stood still for a few seconds, pondering on Ludleth's speech for a while… he was true, all legends started like that, weak, he had to gain strength not by training with hollows, but by facing great enemies! And so without another word he walked towards the bonfire, but was stopped as both Linus The Herald and the Firekeeper stopped him

 _"_ _Ashen One, as a gift for you to start your adventure, have this"_ the blonde woman said kindly as she placed a glowing white pearl on his hand _"A relic from a land in the South from long ago, the Ashen Hearth they called it… with it you will be able to delve into portions of the past and observe past events, for the key to the end of the Cycle may be found in the Past… a great responsibility rests in your shoulders, this may be it, Ashen One, this may be the end of the Cycle… for good or for bad"_ The Firekeeper said before bowing her head and retiring, Joseph looking at the pearl and nodding, placing it in his bag

 _"_ _I will travel with you, Sir Joseph, I must return to Lothric after all… although I fear there won't be much left by now, when I left to reach the Shrine most of the men in the armies of Irithyll, Lothric and the Angel Faith hollowed, but there must be something still remaining… I hope"_ the young herald said hopefully as he knelt beside the bonfire

 _"_ _You are welcome, Linus, company is always welcomed! And a Knight needs a Squire after all"_ Joseph said as he knelt in front of the fire, he glanced at Hawkwood, who was back at his usual spot watching with a small smile in his lips, both men nodded to each other, he knew that the man was too crestfallen to follow them… maybe in the future he could

And so without another word the two men, the Knight and the Squire, placed their hands in the sword of the Bonfire and they disappeared in a flash of flames

Joseph stood up with his sword at hand, looking around the circular room in which he had appeared, a ping of nostalgia soon hit him as he looked at all the statues and the Lothric Banners around the chamber, he looked down at what appeared to be a sewer door and stepped away from it to walk towards a statue of the legendary Lordvessel, the artefact of the Chosen Undead _"Ah, how I missed the Kingdom"_ he said with glee as he caressed one of the banners before walking towards the door _"Get up, Linus, we have to find a Bonfire"_

Linus was on all fours on the ground without his helmet, spitting and coughing on the ground while struggling to stand up, apparently the Herald wasn't used to traveling between bonfires considering that he had traveled all the way to the Sanctuary by foot, the Knight sighed as he grabbed the boy's cape and hoisted him on his feet _"No time to rest, we have to move"_ He said as he opened the door and walked outside, his eyes widening at the sight _"What in the name of Gwyn…"_

They were standing on top of the massive High Wall, the wall built around the City and the Castle to guard it from attacks, he had served as a Knight there for years so the sight was familiar to him… what wasn't familiar was the fact that they were high in the sky, it looked like if the whole area had been lifted from the ground " _Linus, you weren't dead all this time, would you mind explaining why the hell is the Castle on the sky?"_ Joseph said worryingly as he walked towards the edge and peered down with confusion

 _"_ _Sir, you see… when the flame faded faster and all the Undead failed to link the flame, things got worse and, besides the curse, time was also convoluted but in a much worse way that in the past, as the Firekeeper said whole kingdoms were pulled out of the past and… well, a earthquake happened and the whole land rose from the ground into the sky, and considering that we were already experiencing a full blown war inside our gates, that made it all worse; other Heralds have informed us that Irithyllian forces have already taken control of most villages outside the High Wall"_ Linus said as he unsheathed his longsword and took his shield, turning around to look down _"And I think I found a bonfire"_

Joseph blinked a few times as he walked down the steps towards the Bonfire and sat down besides it, a lot had happened ever since he died, a great lot of things, when he lived the Kingdom was at the peak of its glory, King Ocerios ruled fairly and wisely, the Crown Prince Lorian led the Knights in the defense of the Kingdom and songs were composed about how he defeated the Demon Prince in a duel during the assault to the resurgent Demon Kingdom

And of course, the Kingdom managed to stop the expansion of the Church Of The Deep and the rise of Sulyvhan The Tyrant, keeping Irithyll at bay in a cold war in which Lothric held a clear advantage, ah how he missed those days! But soon the Kingdom began decaying and soon he found himself fighting as the Champion Of Lothric to link the flame, when the left the Kingdom it was still in a slightly good state, the Undead Curse had been fought against quite efficiently and time wasn't yet convoluted

But he died, and now that he awakened a decade afterwards, everything had gone to hell: Gertrude, handmaiden and rumored daughter of the Queen Of Lothric, had received a supposed message from Angels and founded a new religious faction, which led to civil war, and right in the middle of it Irithyll attacks Lothric and then the Undead curse strikes… not to mention the confusing and mind-breaking convolution of time

 _"_ _I will fix this… Linking the fire will fix this"_ Joseph said with a sigh as he rose from the bonfire and patted Linus in the back _"Lets go, squire, we have a task to accomplish"_ He said as he walked away from the bonfire, noticing the dead hollows merged with the trees, they appeared to be praying to something, he wondered what… Linus soon answered his question after noticing his curiosity

 _"_ _They are praying for Prince Lothric to link the flame and end the curse"_ he said rather coldly after staring at the castle in the distance with a mix of hate and resentment _"You are rather lucky, you weren't here to see the worse of it, King Ocerios going mad, the siege… and worse of it all, the curse and the hollowing of the people, when the undead gathered to desperately pray and beg for Lothric to link the flame… horrible, seeing so many people eventually hollowing while begging, I just hope this madness is over soon"_ Linus said with a sigh as both men drew their weapons and began walking down the stairs, Joseph remaining silent as they walked

Soon they came face to face with a black-robbed hollow holding a lamp, the hollow stood in surprise for a few seconds before rising his lantern and beginning to shout madly, but he was silenced shortly after as Linus sprung forward and thrusted with his sword, the blade breaking the lamp and splitting the bony arm in two before the Hollow's body was destroyed as Joseph's greatsword sliced through it

Nevertheless, several Hollow soldiers were alarmed by the shout and began charging towards the knight and his squire, Joseph recognized the golden symbol of Lothric in the soldier's rusted armor and shields, but he also recognized the pale and ice blue symbol of the feared Irithyll, how ironic, the two armies were enemies in life but now they fought side by side as hollows, driven only by their hunger for souls

Without sparing a second thought the Knight lunged forward with his sword by his side, slicing a hollow in two before turning around to parry the slash of another one with his armored gauntlet, instead of riposting he rolled out of the way of a sword instead and beheaded the parried hollow before stabbing the second one in the stomach and pulling the sword out, letting the body slump to the ground as he received a rush of swords

Linus was managing quite well for being a young squire as well, the herald had just dispatched one of the hollows before three attacked him at the same time, he managed to hold his shield to block the three attacks before beginning to madly slash at the enemy like a barbarian, tearing one of them into shreds and heavily damaging the other two, but such an unintelligent way of attacking soon punished him

The two surviving hollows landed a few hits on Linus, whose armor barely managed to hold the damage, but soon he learned from his mistakes and decapitated one of the hollows before turning around and parrying the hit from the second one and finishing him with a nice riposte, a fourth hollow snuck behind him but Joseph tackled the hollow and crushed its head with his boot as he stood up

 _"_ _Be more careful kid, you have a shield, use it!"_ Joseph shouted before yelping as a broken sword penetrated his armor and sunk into his shoulder, he growled as he punched the hollow away and ended its life with a slash of his sword before kneeling as another one slammed an axe into his back, bruising it badly, the knight grunted as he managed to block the second hit with the blade of his sword, Linus soon saved him by backstabbing the hollow

The unkindled took the hilt of the broken sword and pulled it out of his shoulder before impaling the head of a Hollow with it and pushing him away, he spotted a staircase going inside a building near them and he quickly dug his hand inside his bag, taking out a pack of black powder, resins from a pine infused with fire, and he quickly wrapped it around his sword, fire soon engulfing the blade

 _"_ _Linus, get in front of me with your shield up and advance towards the stairs, we have to get out of here"_ Joseph shouted as, with his now fiery sword, began slashing madly and cutting down hollows with ease, but more and more keep pouring into the small section of the wall, the remnants of three armies all going down at them

Linus soon obeyed and quickly got in front of Joseph with his shield fully raised and began advancing, pushing hollows out of the way as the knight walked behind him, slashing down at the flanks to stop any hollows from harming the squire, taking a good lot of damage himself , as they entered the building both men rolled inside and, as Joseph healed with some Estus, Linus took a firebomb from his bag and threw it at the hollows going down the stairs, the fire consuming most of the front line and stopping their advance for a bit

" _FOLLOW ME SIR!"_ Linus said as he ran towards the center of the room and jumped down a hole, ignoring the stairs, Joseph growled as he stood up and ran towards the hole and jumped as well, slamming against the wall first and then into the ground, taking some considerable damage before he stood up _"Good reflexes, Linus, now lets get out of here"_ The knight said as he drank another gush of Estus, if it wasn't for his armor the Knight would've died quite quickly

With a hurried pace they both soon were out of the building and facing two paths, one led straight ahead and the other led upstairs into another section of the wall, the problem was that both were filled to the top with Hollows, and behind them the sound of the chasing hollows from above was heard

 _"_ _Up the stairs! There is a tower where we can refuge"_ Linus said as he ran towards the stone staircase, Joseph soon ran behind him but his eyes widened as he saw two massive wings rising in the sky, he bolted forward and grabbed Linus by the arm before slamming him against the wall and soon getting close to it as well, just in time before a massive flame turned everything not in cover into ashes, a rush of soul getting towards the two of them as the army of hollows was burned into oblivion

Joseph glanced up into the tower and his heart shrinked, a Drake, a massive one if he might add, had taken residence on top of the tower, he recognized it as one of the Drakes the Lothric Knights mounted, he had always stayed away from the Drakes when he was part of their ranks, it seemed like a useless danger to him, and now he was face to face with one

And to topple things up, he noticed a great storm brewing in the horizon, very close to the High Wall by now and getting closer, great thunders visible in the gray stormy clouds, and he could almost swear he recognized the form of a Drake and a man mounting it, but he ignored it for the time being, the storm would arrive later, for now they had to worry about the dragon on top of their heads

 _"_ _On three, we jump from the stairs and run like madmen towards the other side, got it?"_ he whispered to Linus, who nodded as he stared at the Drake who was busy fighting and slashing at some surviving hollows, eventually it growled as it jumped down to face the hollows and that's when Joseph shouted " _THREE!"_ and jumped down into the still burning road and began running like a madman towards the other side of the road while the Drake fought with the hollows, but the drake noticed them and spat a huge fireball towards them

Joseph grunted as he covered his head with his arm and slumped against the wall, the fireball shaking the ground and tearing a huge chunk of the wall as it impacted, but nevertheless he kept running even as fire rained around him, barely missing his figure as he ran, Linus of course was at the other side by now and fighting against a couple of hollow soldiers since the herald had lighter armor and could run faster

Soon Joseph recognized he didn't have the time to cross and looked for an alternative, he soon found a hole in a nearby building and dashed towards it, throwing Firecrusader to the ground besides the hole and instead picking a crossbow from a charred hollow and a greatshield from a Lothric Knight that had fallen even before the drake appeared, maybe even his former rider

And so he slumped against the hole, barely fitting into it, and he rose the shield to cover the hole with him inside, the metal immediately heated up and turned orange from the heat as the dragon spew fire at the path, his gauntlets protected him somewhat but the heat soon became unbearable and he screamed in pain as the palms of his hands began burning, but luckily the fire stopped…

…only to be replaced by a massive set of claws that ravaged the shield and threw it away, the Knight screamed as he rose the loaded crossbow just as the dragon head appeared, and he fired it, the bolt managing to hit the left eye of the drake and cause it to stumble away and leave the path open for Joseph, who dropped the crossbow and picked up Firecrusader from the ground, the blade red due to the heat of the fire

Some of the path collapsed thanks to the dragons' weight and as the drake stumbled the Unkindled found one of its claws holding a piece of the wall, the only thing maintaining the drake's balance, and so he rose his sword high in the sky and brought it down hard into the claw, actually managing to cut it off and making the drake go out of balance

And so he ran as the full weight of the drake collapsed into the bridge and destroyed it, the ground collapsing and the tower in which the drake was resting only moments ago going down into the body of the drake, crushing it and killing it instantly, its lifeless body collapsing into the ground far, far below the High Wall

Joseph grunted as he fell to the ground and threw his helmet aside, grunting in pain as he also removed his charred gauntlets and placed them in his bag, grabbing some estus and desperately chugging down on it, his hands and his whole body soon got cured from the searing pain and the wounds, but he had no estus now

He suddenly remembered Linus and with a yelp he stood up and placed his guantlets and his helmet back to where they belonged before running towards the building and getting inside, Linus was there, heavily wounded and bleeding on the ground, surrounded by dead hollows with the attire of thieves and hunters, and nothing less than a fully armored Knight Of Lothric, who laid dead with Linus' sword in its throat

 _"_ _LINUS! Damn it, We gotta find a bonfire"_ He said as he sheathed his sword and pulled Linus' bloody sword away from the Knight's throat, and then hoisting the unconscious and almost dead herald into his shoulder and walking outside again, walking up another staircase and then, to his great relief, he found a bonfire right there

He rushed towards it and hurried to light it, soon settling Linus' body besides it and sitting down himself, the relief soon rushing into the two of them as their Flasks got refilled and their wounds cured, Linus soon waking up completely cured and looking around with fear in his eyes

 _"I would say… I never thought the Knights would hollow as well"_ He said sadly as he looked at the horizon, at the incoming storm, it was closer than ever now, and the sun was setting as well, they were so high in the sky that the storm would without doubt spread chaos and havoc throughout the wall, they needed a solid refugee and fast

Linus seemed to be thinking the same, for he said " _The Cathedral, at the entrance of the Castle, we are quite nearby, I can see it from here! When I left we were still in control of it and High Priestess Emma was there… I wonder if she is still alive, she has acted as the leader of Lothric after Ocerios' fall into madness"_ Linus said as he stared into the Cathedral at the distance

 _"_ _No time to waste then, my young friend, no time to waste"_ Joseph muttered as he stood up and reluctantly walked away from the Bonfire and down the stone staircase yet again, there were new hollows there, all of them thieves, and all of them easily falling to the steel of his Greatsword even before Linus arrived, the path diverted into two from there, one going down and one going outside

 _"_ _Looks like we have to split our ways, you go down there and I will go outside, if you come into a dead end return here and go outside, follow the tray of dead hollows and you will find me"_ Joseph said as he walked to the door, nodding at Linus with a smirk as the herald nodded and walked to the stairs _"Good luck, Sir Joseph, I will make sure to find you"_ the Herald said before disappearing downstairs

The Knight slowly walked outside and looked at the dragon body besides him, taking a quick look around the High Wall he could see much more bodies around the Wall, as well as some living ones flying far and fighting against either hollowed or unhollowed enemies, hopefully he wouldn't face another one of those beasts!

As he advanced he kicked a climbing Hollow and decapitated one who was climbing the stairs, before, not bothering with the stairs, jumping to a group of hollows below and plunging his sword deep into the rooftop, the whole group dying thanks to the hard impact, he spotted the Cathedral even closer now, he was surely on the right path

As he advanced a hollow, part of a group praying in a tree, slowly got up and began walking towards the Knight, the Unkindled noticed the dark tentacles coming from its back and with alarm he charged at the abyss-infested hollow and rammed his sword into its skull before kicking it down from the rooftop, but the other hollows were standing up as well, and all of them had the signs of infection in them

His face hardened and he quickly took out all the five firebombs he had with him, placing four of them on the ground near the hollows and quickly running away from the morphing hollows before throwing his fifth firebomb to the bombs cuddled together and running towards a staircase nearby, he ignored them and jumped right down below to another roof, the satisfying explosion heard behind him as the roof collapsed

He turned around, the explosion had killed the hollows before they morphed and the collapsing rubble of the roof had killed several Hollow soldiers and one heavily armored hollowed Lothric Knight, he nodded with satisfaction before yelping as a bolt impaled his back, he turned around with a growl and ran towards the crossbowman, cutting him with his sword and then looking down to look at the former Town Square

A great fountain, that had been filled with water during the peak of the kingdom, was on the center, filled with dust and destroyed in a lot of places, the area around it was surrounded by rubble and body piles that were burning, and his heart shrank as he saw the countless number of Lothric Knights laying dead around the fountain and around the Square

He recognized the red cape and golden symbol of the Kingdom Of Lothric, but only half of the knights wore it, the other half wore thicker armor and had blue capes and the golden symbol of what looked like an Angel, asides from the knights more bodies coated the ground, wearing the symbol of Irithyll, he could even see a few bodies belonging to the infamous Outrider Knights, the remnants of an intense battle nobody had won

A battle that apparently hadn't ended yet, there were still several Lothric Knights standing, alongsides those strange Angel Knights and a few Irithyllian infantry soldiers, half of them were hollowed, the others were still on their five senses and continuing to fight the senseless war, with a grunt he quickly took out a Pine Resin and wrapped it around his weapon, flames surrounding it as he ran and jumped down into the freight

" _LOTHRIC!"_ he shouted as he descended and landed on the shoulders of a Winged Knight, his fire greatsword penetrating its helmet with the force of the jump and killing it instantly, the still unhollowed Lothric Knights and soldiers cheered as the new knight arrived to the scene, he jumped off the corpse and dodged the slash of a halberd before spinning and ramming his sword into the knee of another knights, before pulling it out and beheading him

 _"_ _KNIGHTS! KILL THE IRITHYLLIAN INVADERS AND THE HERETICS! HELP OUR NEW KNIGHT!"_ One Lothric Knight, clearly the captain, shouted as he rammed his hammer into the head of an Irithyllian soldier and kicked the body away, Joseph nodded at the Captain and blocked the hit from a soldier before decapitating him and impaling a second one in the stomach

And so the battle continued, it was all a blur in his eyes, he continuously span around and slashed his greatsword madly, cutting down hollows and enemies alike while dodging the halberds of the Angel Knights and using his armor to protect himself from the weak blows of the Irithyllian infantry

And he received several blows as well! More than one, but his trust Estus Flask always saved him from the worse hits, in no time the little remaining Irithyllian soldiers were all dead and bleeding in the ground, but the Winged Knights were still on the fight, one was about to crush him with a great hammer but it suddenly went down bleeding from its throat, a short hollow with his face hidden behind a slave mask standing in front of it with two bleeding daggers in his hands, Linus was behind him

 _"_ _Found this thief, Geirat, down in the tower, he is quite friendly and I think he will be of use to…. Us…"_ Linus said cheerfuly before his happiness soon died down as a great gush of wind hit the square, and another one, and another one, each one getting stronger each passing time, the storm was almost upon them

" _CAPTAIN! WE CANNOT STAY HERE! FORGET THE SQUARE! THE STORM WILL WIPE US ALL OUT! WE MUST GET TO THE CATHEDRAL!"_ Joseph shouted to the captain, who hesitated for a moment before a gush of wind almost knocked him off his feet, he soon began running away and shouting _"KNIGHTS! RETREAT TO THE CATHEDRAL! RETREAT!"_ he shouted and soon all the Lothric forces began running out of the square

The Winged Knights began celebrating, not noticing the gush of wind nor the storm thanks to their thick armor, but Joseph didn't cared, as long as he and the knights were saved he would be fine, he ran and ran and soon they were right in front of the doors of the Cathedral, several more Knights and Lothric Infantrymen were standing guard in front of it, but they soon opened the gates at the captain's command

Joseph stood besides the door as the wind got even worse, and all the soldiers quickly got inside the cathedral, the doors soon began closing but the Knight didn't got inside, instead he turned around to look at the storm above them and then he saw it, a massive shadow but with a clear form

It didn't looked very clear, but as a thunder struck the ground the momentary flash allowed him to see a massive blue feathered drake and a big, God-like man with a strange spear mounting it, but as the flash went away it disappeared and, not wanting to find out what it was, Joseph got inside before the doors shut

The doors were shut tightly and barricaded, everyone was inside by now and he was glad to see Lothric still had a decent enough army reunited there, his eyes soon looked up to see a great blue portal on top of him and he yelped in surprise as he drew his greatsword out

 _"_ _No reason to fear it… you have to fear what is trapped inside of it, tough, fear Her, not her prison"_ an old and kind voice said, the knight slowly turning around to look at an old woman attired in robes, the High Priestess, Emma

 _"_ _Unkindled, we have much to discuss…_

...

In the morning; Everyone would notice that all the Dragons in the High Wall, those still fighting and those dead, were all gone once morning struck and the storm died, but nobody gave it importance... after all, stranger things happened in the Land

 **AAAAND ITS OVER!**

 **SO SORRY FOR DELAY AGAIN!**

 **Looks like we still have some men who aren't hollowed! That's good! Next chapter we will face Vordt! And it will be out very soon hopefuly!**

 **See ya next time! also, something you can do to help this story come out early: I am having problems submitting files, if you would help me: when I try to submit a file it claims am not using Docx but a format called "Msword" and that I can't submit, even tough I am using Docx, any ideas?**


	9. Vordt

**_A Crusade Of Fire_**

 ** _By Lucius RC_**

 **A/N:** **Greetings and Welcome to yet another Chapter of this glorious story, A Crusade Of Fire! Thanks you all so much for your reviews last chapter, and as promised this chapter has indeed arrived early now! Right on cue!**

 **So, It looks like you guys liked my early introduction of the Nameless King, it was a hard decision to make since I didn't knew if that would fuck up the story or not, but hey! The chapter and the feedback were good on it! So its all kay**

 **To answer some reviews:**

 **Tylermech: I am so so sorry D : but I must use Italics to be able to distinguish dialogue from the normal text, if I only use " " the text will be confusing! Although if I get enough complains I will remove it, also, thanks you so much in answering the question!**

 **TheAshenOne: Sorry! A lot of things got in the way of posting, but at least the chap is here now! I feel the same about the Outriders and I play on Xbox One, I have an Abyss Watcher build but I am trying to find something to make it less linear, I mean I have the whole outfit XD pretty good armor, as for weapons I use the Wolf Knight Greatsword and the Farron Greatsword(mostly the Wolf Knight one tho, have been thinking about dual wielding them) and Pyromancies**

 **CosmicGuardian: Hehehe indeed! A lot of problems will be arising next time the King shows his ugly face around!**

 **With that answered, lets start! Today we face the vile watchdog of the Boreal Valley…. VORDT!**

 ** _Chapter 8: Vordt_**

That night, as the storm ravaged the High Wall, he and the still unhollowed soldiers and knights rested with a very well-deserved rest after the endless battles, Joseph was the last one to sleep, having been talking with the High Priestess until midnight before finally cuddling in the ground with that gift from the Firekeeper, that white pearl, the Ashen Mist Heart, clutched closely to his chest

He had talked of a lot of things with the High Priestess, they talked about his task about the convolution of time and the lands below the High Wall, and about the ever present threat of Pontiff Sulyvhan and his Outrider Knights everywhere he went

lying down next to a small pillar that held a Silver Sword in it… as he began falling asleep fog began coming out of the Pearl and reaching for the Sword

And he began dreaming

The first thing he noticed was that he was made of a sort of white fog and that the people of the room couldn't see him, but he soon forgot about that as he looked at the man walking around ashes

At first he thought the man to be the legendary Dragonslayer Ornstein, for he had his very same armor, but he was smaller than the Dragonslayer, and his helmet lacked the great red hair tail that the legend had, and to top it all he didn't even had the lighting spear characteristic of the Knight, but instead he fought with a slender and long sword made of silver and a great charred black shield

He instantly recognized that slender sword as the very same sword that was exposed where he was asleep… the Firekeeper had said that the pearl would allow him to visit past events and enter the memory of someone else, and he almost entered into a fit of excitement as sudden realization hit him: that sword belonged to the legendary Chosen Undead… and he was now in a part of his memory

He was standing in a sort of ruined place with the ground covered completely in ash, the place had the strange look of a… Kiln… he was looking at the end of the journey of the Chosen Undead, the legendary hero standing in front of a great fog wall that lead into the entrance of the Kiln itself, several corpses of Black Knights laying around him, but as he prepared to enter the gate, heavy footsteps were heard

" _Ah… so its you"_ the new arrival said " _I was hoping it wouldn't be you, but alas, here you are… ironic isn't it? We started this pilgrimage together, I broke you out and you saved my life… and now we are here at the end of this journey, but now we follow different goals… Ah, from being so, so close to being so far… from friends to enemies"_ both the Chosen Undead and Joseph turned around to face the new arrival, but such was Joseph's luck that the dream began getting very blurry and now it was like watching through a thick fog, but with the voices clear

 _"_ _And so the Dark Lord stands before the Champion Of Light"_ the mature voice of the Chosen Undead resonated even through the fog _"I… I didn't expect to see you here, not after I vanquished you in the Abyss after slaying the Four Kings"_ The Chosen said, grief and regret on his voice as the sound of swords being drawn out was heard

 _"_ _I wish I didn't had to fight you, but this is for a higher purpose… and my dead in the Abyss only strengthened me, I am far from hollowing"_ two miracles were cast and he could see it through the thick fog, one sword began glowing golden bright and the other began glowing black _"Chosen Undead, it is time for the fire to fade and for the Dark Lord to rise"_ the Dark Lord said and as they were about to clash the dream ended and Joseph found himself staring into the roof of the Cathedral, the sun high in the sky

 _"_ _So you've seen it, hmm?"_ a voice said, Joseph turning around to look at the High Priestess _"you've entered His memory using His Silver Sword, fascinating! but beware that pearl Ashen One… for the Heirs Of Darkness may be able to contact you…"_ she looked at him with a grave stare _"And there is more than the one you saw"_

The Knight was truly stunned and surprised by what she said and what he saw, but before he could question her an armored hand grabbed his arm and hoisted him up _"Sir! It is time, you cannot remain here no longer, our scouts have seen a small detachment of Outrider Knights traveling towards us"_ a deep voice said, Joseph looking up to see the face, dark and green-eyed, of the Captain of the remaining forces _"We cannot risk you staying here and dying, you have a task to accomplish after all"_ the Captain said before quickly walking outside to continue organizing the defenses

 _"_ _Understood, Linus! To me"_ Joseph shouted as he began dressing on his armor, his squire, who was already armored, rushed towards him and began helping him _"So, we are going down and out of the High Wall… a shame indeed, a shame, juts when I return home, I have to leave again"_ the Knight said sadly as he was armored

 _"_ _I… I am not coming Sir"_ Linus said with a sigh, looking at him with a sad expression _"I am going to lead an expedition into the Castle with a small battalion, we are going to try and get to Prince Lothric and to hopefully retrieve him and bring him to the Shrine before the Outrider Knights of the Pontiff get him… I wish you the best of the lucks in your journey, Sir Joseph, hopefuly our paths will meet again in the future"_

As he finished putting on his armor, the Knight embraced the Herald in a tight hug, lasting for a few minutes before he broke it _"Freth not, Linus my friend, because if things go well we will find each other in the Shrine right in time to link the Fire"_ Joseph said with a smile before putting on his helmet and picking Firecrusader from the ground, with a final nod to his Squire he turned around and walked out of the Cathedral

The sight was strangely familiar and nostalgic to him, all the remaining soldiers were piling up barricades in the courtyard in front of the Cathedral, and he noticed that the portcullis leading to the fountain with the now dead Angel Knights was closed, and all other entrances were being sealed by anything the soldiers and knights could find

He watched the scene with interest as the defenses were prepared, there was no way the enemy would penetrate here, but he was soon reminded of his lack of time by a Lothric Knight bumping into him _"Sir Joseph, you must hurry, me and two of my companions will escort you below, hopefully Vordt won't notice us… at least won't do it until after you are gone"_ the Knight said before forcefully grabbing Joseph's shoulders and beginning to drag him down until they reached the stairs

Once they reached that point Joseph slapped the knight's hand away and almost punched the asshole, but he breathed deeply and drew out Firecrusader _"Lets go then"_ he said as he began walking down the stairs alongside the knight who, like him, carried a Greatsword of his own, they were soon joined by a knight, one female and the other male, the male one carrying a straight sword and shield and the female a massive square shield and a great lance, the one with the Straight Sword carried a banner on his back

 _"_ _Four Knights against Vordt, who is a single Knight with no help whatsoever? Hah! This will be an easy fight, I would rather duel the man and defeat him with my own hand without help"_ Joseph said as the company reached the end of the stairs and began walking toward the entrance of the building

The Knights remained silent at his comment for a while before one, the one with the Great Lance, spoke _"You don't know Vordt, he is called a Dog for a reason… Linus was the last Herald to leave the High Wall you know? He left and then Vordt arrived, we tried to send five more Heralds after Linus, the first two died when trying to leave, then we began sending soldiers to escort them, they died as well, and finally Sir Virdos, our very leader, escorted the fifth herald… and the two died"_ The woman said with a grunt as they entered the building, making it clear to the Unkindled that Vordt was more powerful than he tought

The Unkindled got an uneasy feeling on his gut as he stepped into the room, a Knight, alone and with no support, had managed to kill five heralds, several soldiers and the best Lothric Knight in the area all by himself when they tried to leave the castle, just what was he facing?

He had hear horror stories of the Outrider Knights when he served as one of the Lothric Knights, things weren't clear, but according to rumors they were handed two rings by the Pontiff himself, rings that made them crazy after a certain period of time, rings that made them beasts who killed everything that moved be it friend or foe, time bombs sent to explode in distant lands for suicidal missions

But they were all rumors after all, probably created by the Irithyllians themselves to scare their enemies into submission, Vordt was probably just a very skilled Knight who used great tactics to kill his enemies… right?

Joseph began noticing that the room was cracked fully and that several dark roots were coming out of it and extending to the walls and even the roof, the roots oozing a purple, sludgy substance… the essence of the Deep, the Knight soon clutched his sword tightly with two hands as he advanced forward towards the door of the room, the knights behind him slowly rising their shields and weapons as well as they approached the gigantic double doors that were covered in roots as well

The room began getting colder, much more colder than normal, and a white fog appeared on the ground as Joseph stood in front of the gates, he extended a hand and touched the wall to push it open, hoping to avoid the Deep Essence, but his heart skipped a beat as he heart a roar behind him, one of the Knights even screaming in fear and despair as they all turned around to look at a blue and dark portal behind them, in the entrance to the room

 _"_ _Kill… Defend Gate… Kill… For The Pontiff… Kill… KILL! KILL! KILL! AAAARGH!"_ a beastly and inhuman voice came from the portal

 _"_ _Steel yourselves men! Vordt has noticed us, protect the Unkindled at all costs and avenge the lives of all of our men who were slain by that horrible beast!"_ the knight with the greatsword said as the other two with shields rose their shields and prepared their weapons, and soon Vordt crawled out of the portal and, to Joseph's dismay, proved all the rumors surrounding the Outrider Knights true

He couldn't even be classified as a human anymore, it had grown to a inhumane and gigantic size, in a way he reminded him of Smough from the old legends, he had no doubt that the Outrider Knight would be the size of a giant if he stood on both legs, but the Knight, just like a beast, walked on all four limbs like a dog, a massive mace clutched on his hands, a cold aura surrounding him

His armor was massive as well, proportionate to Vordt's size, made of the strongest of iron, the helmet was quite strange, made to resemble a beast's face and with two holes for the eyes, the symbol of the Boreal Valley painted into the cloth wrapped around the Knight, Vordt smashed his hammer into the ground, making the room shake, before roaring and beginning to crawl towards the company

 _"_ _SQUAD! SPREAD! SURROUND THE BEA-"_ the Knight with the Straight Sword shouted before yelping as he raised his shield to try and block the blow of the hammer, Vordt had made a massive jump towards their positions and of course, the Knight's arm broke under the weight of the hammer and the shield bended and then broke, the weight of the hammer coming to rest into the chest of the man, crushing the armor and the chest inside it, blood and organs sent flying out of the broken piece of armor as the Knight died almost instantly, but thankfully his sacrifice wasn't in vain

Vordt roared in pain as his armor was pierced by the lance of one of the Knights, the huge blade sinking deep into the hide of the Outrider Knight, just below his arm, and as he tried to rise his fist to punch the heroic Lothric Knightess the other one, the one with the Greatsword, slammed his sword into the arm, producing a deep cut into it and staggering the beast for a precious moment

Joseph used that moment to land a crushing hit into the beast's helmet using all the weight of his body and his sword, denting the armor and causing great damage before Vordt swept both the Knight and the Ashen One with his arm, leaving him alone with the Knightess, who held against him pretty well with her massive square shield and lance

The Unkindled growled as he stood up and took out a package of black pine resin from his back, wrapping the package around the blade of Firecrusader and covering the sword in flames, he could see that the Knight besides him was doing the same with his own weapon, only that he was using a miracle and his greatsword got covered in divine light instead _"Sir Joseph, if my companion and I fall, I want you to run towards those gates, take the banner from poor Sir Biler's corpse, and get the shit out of here before Vordt can get you"_ the Knight said gravely

 _"_ _If you think for a moment that I will leave without killing Vordt then you are mistaken, even if I die I will just return again and fight him again and again until I kill him… now, FIGHT!"_ Joseph shouted as he took the lead and charged towards the beast, who was trying to break the guard of the Knightess, and using the impulse of his running he jumped and smashed his sword into the Boreal Knight's back, riding him like a horse with his fiery sword impaled into his back, Vordt roaring and trying to shake him off

But soon the Watchdog Of The Boreal Valley released a loud pained whine as the lance of the priestess buried deep into his left eye, blinding him and almost killing him, and then he fell to the ground after the divine sword of the other Knight got impaled into his stomach, the watchdog roared and began trashing before falling to the ground

Both Joseph and the Knight pulled their sword out of the beast and the Unkindled jumped off the beast's body, he grunted as he began walking towards the body of Sir Biler, the first knight to die, before a loud angry roar resonated through the room accompanied by the scream of the Knights

He turned around in time to see Vordt take a slash from the Knight's divine sword before the hammer connected with his body and sent him flying away towards a wall, although thankfully not dead, and soon the Great Lance of the Knightess got impaled into the beast's chest, but Vordt, now with glowing blue eyes, rammed the Knightess like a bull into the wall, heavily damaging her bones, before grabbing her by the head with his hand and slamming her into the ground three times, all while the Knightess screamed, and then he tightened his hand into a fist slowly around the Knightess' head, crushing both metal and skull as blood and brains poured out and stained Vordt's hand

 _"_ _YOU DAMNED PUPPET OF THE PONTIFF!"_ Joseph shouted as the wish to avenge the two fallen knights overcame him and he ran towards the beast, before being run over as it charged towards him and being trampled by the beast, several of his bones breaking as the beast trampled him again before a great flash of light impacted Vordt, turning its attention back into the Knight with the greatsword, who had survived the hit from the hammer

 _"_ _RUN, YOU IDIOT!"_ The Knight shouted as he began fighting Vordt, rolling through his charges and slashing at him with his Greatsword, Joseph using the distraction to desperately chug down at his Estus Flask, he sighed in relief as he felt his bones slowly fixing and his wounds closed, the pain fading away and leaving the Unkindled as good as new

Joseph looked at the battle ongoing and charged at the beast with his flaming sword raised above his head, the Knight was about to be defeated, and soon he was as Vordt's fist punched at him at forced him to kneel before being smashed into the wall by the hammer, covering the wall in blood, Vordt soon noticed the Knight was still alive, and he growled as he reached his arm to grab him before screaming in pain as he felt flames burning his head and the armor in his neck breaking as a sword slashed through it

The Outrider Knight managed to catch a glimpse of Joseph rising his sword high in the air before bringing it down into Vordt's neck again, chopping half of his neck and causing him to slump into the ground, as he heard the whistle of the sword coming down again Vordt, regaining his sanity for his last moments of life as the presence of the Pontiff left him, could only silently thank the Gods and that blessed Unkindled for freeing him of his suffering as the sword slashed through his neck and decapitated him

Maybe in the Afterlife he would finally be reunited with his love, his fellow Outrider Knight, the one now known as the Dancer…

Maybe...

Pontiff Sulyvhan sighed in disappointment as the image of Vordt faded, he opened his eyes and placed the black orb he used to peer through the rings of his Knights back into its pedestal and standing up from his chair, he scratched his short and full white bear as he pondered on the situation, Vordt was one of his best Outrider Knights and the one who had advanced the most in the process of becoming a beast, and now he was gone, slayed

The Pontiff was soon interrupted by a knock to the door and he quickly picked his mask and crown from a nearby table and placed them on his head right before the door opened and Sir Voreas entered the room, quickly kneeling in front of him and presenting his double edged axe to him

 _"_ _Your Holiness, we have lost several sectors of Irithyll to the Curse and the Hollows, several Knights and Soldiers have fallen to the curse as well as a good sector of the Population"_ The Knight said gravely and Sulyvhan silently cursed, he had kept the illusion that Irithyll was safe from the curse for so long, sending all those branded with the Sign far away as Outrider Knights, or dispatching them with the help of his Pontifical Knights… but now it had gotten worse

 _"_ _Voreas, my champion, noble blade of the Pontiff, gather the Knights and send them to me, I am afraid we must release new Outrider Knights, and into Irithyll itself now… and seal the entry to Irithyll using Seal Of Ariamis, dispatch Fire Witches into the streets to combat the hollows as well"_ the Pontiff said with worry on his eyes, the curse was getting worse and worse, but Aldrich would hopefully finish devouring Gwyndolin by then and gather enough power to consume the Flame and the Abyss _"And gather all the souls of those slayed… we must feed Saint Aldrich after all"_ the Pontiff said before sitting down on his throne again

Centuries had passed, centuries of careful planning and political intrigue, centuries to ascend into the highest steps of power and become Pontiff of the ancient City Of The Gods… he had survived through the end of a Cycle, and now he was through another, he was playing all or nothing now, he was so close to being the lord of a new Age… so close…

 _"_ _Sir Voreas"_ he said suddenly, the Knight stopping and turned around just as he was leaving _"Has Aldrich consumed the Dark Sun yet? Or is he playing with his food yet? Has he at least killed him yet?"_ the Pontiff said as he removed his crown and helmet, Sir Voreas stood still for a few seconds before talking

 _"_ _Your Holiness, Saint Aldrich hasn't devoured Gwyndolin yet, neither has he killed him yet, you know how he relishes in hearing the screams of his victims… he says that he will be finished with him in a couple of weeks"_ Sir Voreas said nervously, praying silently for the Pontiff to not have a fit of rage

 _"_ _Two weeks, we don't have two weeks…"_ Sulyvhan said with a sigh, he could only hope that they would survive the curse long enough _"Tell Maria to bring more sacrifices for Aldrich, and to hunt down the Unkindled who killed Vordt, the one who escaped from the City with the Frost Magic Scrolls, the couple who hunts for Aldrich"_ he said, remembering all the threats to the Age Of The Deep

As the threats were mentioned the knight nodded to each one of them, memorizing them, he really wanted to get the hell out of there to go fulfill his duty, but soon they were interrupted as a fat, gray-skinned and red eyed monk with purple robes entered the room in a hurry, his face filled with sweat

 _"_ _Your Holiness! He has risen from his tomb, we thought that no more Unkindled would rise but we were wrong, He has risen!"_ the Deacon said with desperation on his eyes as the Pontiff quickly rose to his feet with great worry and, forgetting all protocols, began shouting

 _"_ _Who?! WHO HAS RISEN?"_ he shouted, and prayed that it wasn't who he thought he was

 _"_ _Darkmoon Blade Athanel, Champion Of The Dark Sun"_

And soon the Pontiff entered one of his extremely rare fits of rage

Joseph grunted as he carried the Knight and Vordt's decapitated head out of the building, the Lothric Knight had been saved using a healing miracle while Joseph decapitated the Boreal Knight, although he was still weak and groggy from the battle _"We shared a battle together, a mighty one if I might add, what is your name, my friend?"_ Joseph said as he finally left him at the door, where several soldiers rushed to help the Knight

 _"_ _I am Sir Wilhelm, and thanks you for saving my life back there… my fellow companions couldn't make it, but at least their memories will live on with me"_ the Knight, Wilhelm, said with a chuckle before he was dragged away, and Joseph entered back into the building, glancing at Vordt's corpse and looking at his bag, he had plucked the remaining eye of the beast after decapitating it, so that he would access his memories in the future

But for now, he had a duty to fulfil

He pushed the great gates open using all of his strength, and as soon as they opened wide for him he came out and instantly his breath was taken away from his as he looked at the sight

There used to be a great bridge leading to this very spot, and a look to the floor below revealed that the bridge was still there, but far below and broken, and where several villages and fortress used to be, there were now several unknown lands: a great swamp, several manors and castles, a great tower… and finally a snowy area and the legendary Anor Londo, time wasn't the only thing convoluted, now space was as well

But such was the nature of the Curse, a curse that would disappear for another cycle as soon as he linked the flame, and so he raised the banner high in the air, the banner he took from the corpse of his fellow Knight, and soon enough several white and red demons appeared and took him, flying off down towards the Undead Settlement

Deep in the Cemetery of Ash, a new soul rose from his grave, growling as he slowly came out of his coffin and slide into the ground, coughing, his medium weight armor lying next to him, a mix of armor and robes, alongside a curved blade and a mace, as well as a ring with the symbol of the dark sun and a pendant with the symbol of the Dark Sun

Athanel, Blade Of The Darkmoon and Champion Of The Dark Sun rose from his grave and released a loud scream of anguish

 **A/N: THE EEEEEEEEEEND**

 **Took a shorter time now! And the chapter is quite large as well, something that I find quite satisfying! I hope you enjoyed this chapter my fellow readers, I really liked how the fight with Vordt came out, really satisfying tbh! next chapter we will see either our Hero going through the Undead Settlement or we will follow the story of another Unkindled, who knows!**

 **Also, a question for you guys! who do you ship in the Souls Series? just curious, altough don't worry! there won't be any romance or shippings in this story, it won't fit the theme of this fic, but i still wanna know!**


	10. The Fallen Champion

_**A Crusade Of Fire**_

 _ **By Lucius RC**_

 **A/N:** **Hello there dear readers! And welcome to the ninth chapter of A Crusade Of Fire!**

 **Today, as some suggested, we will follow the story of the newly risen Champion Of The Dark Sun, someone who looks more like a threat to the Pontiff than Joseph is!**

 **I mean, one is a Crusader of Fire bent in kindling the fire and crushing anything that stands in the way of kindling… and the other is the Champion of the DARK SUN! surely someone so involved with Gwyndolin must be pissed at Pontinfinite Staminavhan and company!**

 **To answer some reviews:**

 **SethTheGreat:** **Freth not, Freth not! I am aware of this, I myself think that the world is fucked no matter what you pick, although I do feel that by linking the flame you are giving a chance for new kingdoms to rise and thrive at least for a few centuries… although you're right, it is not a cure, but a delay. Dark Souls is indeed such a great game for it, I would love if all the characters had a good ending… but I am also thankful that they don't, since the tragedy is what makes Dark Souls a great game, and sadly it is also the game closest to reality since in both the world is fucked up beyond repair**

 **Altough I repeat, Freth not, Freth not! A lot of people who uphold causes end up disappointed greatly by their causes and either abandon them or uphold them with little enthusiasm, maybe Joseph will experience the same thing when he starts seeing the negative effects of fire more clearly… but right now he has just arrived to the Settlement, its still a long way to the Kilin**

 **Soleimon:** **Originaly I actually intended for Joseph to become an Abyss Watcher, but the idea was scrapped… although don't worry! For in the future you will see a lot of Farron Greatswords! ; )**

 **Tylermech:** **The classical pairings! Awesome!**

 **Cosmic** **: your vote has become a reality, my friend!**

 **Without further delay, lets start!**

 **Chapter 9: Fallen Champion**

Gwyndolin, he had to find Gwyndolin

Athanel groaned as he began slowly dressing up in his armor, the silver armor used by the Knights Of Anor Londo, a silk purple coat over the armor with the symbol of both the Darkmoon and the Dark Sun on it, his legs were only covered in leather armor and hidden inside a purple robe, a Broadsword on his belt and a mace on his hand as well as a big steel shield on his left hand

His face, dark and with a brown goatee beard and short hair, was protected by a black helmet used by the Berenike Knights from his age, the cleric and Blade of the Darkmoon was soon fully armored and protected and with a growl he began walking away from his tomb, he had to find Gwyndolin

He didn't recognize the castle looming over the cemetery nor the red and golden banners in the distance, how much cycles had passed? Probably quite a lot, the flame was still alive, he could sense it, the light proved it… that meant that another undead had done what he had failed to do

And then a sudden realization hit him, he was alive, he was an Unkindled, the flame was threatened yet again and now the end approached, which gave him even more reasons to find Gwyndolin and help him plan out the final battle against the Age Of Dark, damned be everything else, Gwyndolin was his top priority

He looked at the building in the distance as he walked, probably there would be a bonfire there, a bonfire he could use to teleport to the City Of The Gods and find Gwyndolin, ah! The Dark Sun would be so happy to see him again after all those years… but his train of thought was soon interrupted as four spots around him began glowing purple

Immediately he slammed his shield into the ground and took out a talisman from his belt, closing his eyes as he casted a miracle and his mace was soon covered in a purple aura, the Darkmoon Blade, he picked his shield up just as four purple figures emerged from the circles and materialized into three men and a woman

There was a man using quite fragile looking clothing with a golden crown on his head, a symbol he didn't recognize on his chest and a fragile slim blade on his hands, the other two men were heavily armored and held a Claymore and a Great Axe respectively, while the woman was more lightly armored and held a Katana

" _Champion Athanel, yield your weapons and get on your knees"_ the man with the crown said as the four readied their weapons

" _On whose authority do you try to subdue me?"_ The Cleric shouted as he looked at the four soldiers nervously and readied his mace, prepared to strike at anytime, he had absolutely no intentions to surrender to these brigands _"You are mistaken if you think I will go with you willingly"_

" _On the authority of His Holiness Pontiff Sulyvhan Of Irithyll and the Church of the Deep"_ the crowned man said with a smirk as he rose his blade, Sulyvhan? Irithyll? The Deep? Those were names he didn't recognized but as he was about to answer he yelped as he felt a blade slice into his legs, making him fall to his knees, before slicing twice into his shoulder and head, his armor thankfully protecting him from most damage as he fell to the ground, the Katana woman had backstabbed him _"And our task is not to take you alive, but to kill you"_

With a roar Athanel rolled to the side as a great axe smashed into the floor, he quickly slammed his hammer at the man's knee and caused him to fall, he quickly stood up and blocked the slash of a Claymore before skillfully parrying the Katana of the woman, he looked at her with hate on his eyes as he paid back the backstab with a riposte

His hammer slammed hard into her gut, and then again into her chest, the woman screaming in pain as she fell to the ground, but he wasn't done yet, and with a warcry he charged forward and slammed his mace down into the woman's face with all his might as she tried to stand up, her face being smashed and reduced into a lifeless bloody pulp

But he was soon punished as a claymore slashed into his back, penetrating his armor and leaving a huge bloody tear on his back and forcing the Cleric on his knees, tears filled his eyes as he struggled to stand up, he was so close to falling… but soon the image of the great Gwyndolin filled his thoughts, he had to find him no matter what

With a roar he ignored the pain and rolled the next slash, as he rose he came face to face with the man with the Great Axe and with a smirk he jumped to the side as he slashed and watched with satisfaction as the axe hit the Claymore knight right in the head, splitting his helmet in two and killing him instantly

The bodies of both the woman and the claymore man began fading into souls as Athanel threw his shield aside and grabbed his mace with two hands as he approached the Great Axe warrior and began violently bashing his head with his hammer, hitting him five times until the helmet broke and fell off to reveal the bloody and wounded head of the warrior

With a cry of anger he grabbed the back of his head and began slamming him into the rocks over and over again until his skull was crushed between his hand and the rock, three of four were dead, and soon the Cleric turned around to face the crowned Knight, who had been watching the battle with surprise and fear on his eyes

" _You are surely regretting trying to kill me right now, but I will spare you if you tell me your reasons"_ the cleric declared as he threw his mace aside and unsheathed his broadsword, using his talisman to imbue it in the Darkmoon Blade as he advanced forward towards the Knight, who rose his own slender blade with determination

" _The Myths were true, you are a brute"_ the knight said as he stepped forward as well, the cleric looked down at his armor to see all the blood and gore staining it, especially on his hands, but he disregarded it as he kept advancing without answering, the crowned knight continuing his speech _"You shall know our purpose before you die, beast, you are a relic of the former Anor Londo, and you are a threat to the Age Of The Deep, and as such you shall be put down and left in the past where you belong"_ the knight said before smirking _"I am sure you will enjoy being devoured next to Gwyndolin"_

Athanel stopped at the mention of Gwyndolin, what did he mean by devoured? His God was in danger! He had to protect him! _"You damn bastard! Where is Gwy-"_ Athanel didn't manage to finish his sentence as the knight used the cleric's distraction to slash right at his head, the slim blade was way harder than it looked and it sliced right through his helmet, leaving a gash on his cheek as he fell to his knees

The cleric grunted as he removed his helmet and tossed it aside before standing up and looking at the knight _"So be it then"_ he said before charging towards the Knight, the duel was quite intense, the knight was a formidable foe and too agile, rolling all around to avoid the slashes from his broadsword and slashing at his weak spots over and over, tiring the heavily armored cleric

But all men commit mistakes, and the Irithyllian soon rolled right into one of his slashes, the fragile armor the knight wore broke almost immediately to the Darkmoon imbued steel, and he fell to the ground with a sliced and bleeding stomach, the crowned man's eyes widening as he desperately tried to hold in his guts

As he tried to hold his guts with one hand, he rushed to grab the estus flask in his belt before his hand was pinned down and broken by the cleric's boot _"Irithyll, where is it?"_ he demanded as he pressed down on his broken hand with his boot

" _I-In the Boreal Valley! The valley where Anor Londo once stood!"_ the Pontiffical Knight screamed in pain as he squirmed, his guts slowly spilling out _"Please, let me drink my Estus, have mercy!"_ the knight begged as his life began fading

" _Warrior, you have sinned against the Laws of Gods and Men by invading someone and blaspheming against the Dark Sun, and as such thou shalt be punished"_ Athanel said as he rose his blade and slashed down at the Knight's neck, decapitating him and ending his suffering before slowly walking away, there was a bonfire nearby, and he quickly sat down on it as his wounds began healing

So the valley around Anor Londo was now called The Boreal Valley, and the city apparently was now Irithyll… what a strange era, he could only hope that his God was still alive, yes, he had to be, who could be strong enough to kill the mighty Dark Sun? with a confident smile he closed his eyes and touched the bonfire, and when he opened them he was in a tent, part of several other tents in what looked to be an abandoned camp besides a Tower

He slowly stood up from the bonfire and placed his helmet back on to protect himself from the subzero and terribly cold temperatures, there was a blizzard going on, and the only cover was the tower looming over the camp, without hesitation the cleric rushed to the tower and opened the door, quickly getting inside and closing the door

And just as he turned around two purple circles were on the floor in front of him, two women rising from the circles as purple spirits before materializing and looking at him, one of them was armored decently and with a spear while the other one had twin swords, Athanel could hear more invasions going on upstairs

He didn't even wait for them to speak as he smashed his mace into the twin-sword lady's face and sent her crashing against the wall before turning around and parrying the spear coming towards his face and punishing the woman with a mace to her stomach and then her head, sending her sprawling to the wall as well

A fireball hit his back and he screamed in surprise and agony as the fire covered him for a few seconds, and he quickly rolled out of the way as another fireball crashed in the ground, his eyes quickly finding the culprit: a man in black robes with a Pyromancy flame, and he could see that the twin sword lady was charging towards him as well, he had to act quickly

As the woman's blades were about to hit him he span around and bashed her stomach with her shield before hitting her with the edge of it on the face and sending her to the ground, and as she tried to stand up he slammed his mace into her stomach and kicked her face and enjoyed the sound of a rush of souls as she died

He span again and rose his shield to protect himself from the newly cast fireball before throwing his shield at the shield woman that had just risen up and was charging towards him, the shield slowed her long enough for the Cleric to take out his talisman and rise his hand as it began cracking with a golden color, a Lighting Bolt appeared on his hands and he threw it at the Pyromancer, hitting him straight in the chest and wounding him

He turned to face the spear woman just in time to feel the spear sink into his thigh, he screamed in pain and fell to his knees as it was pulled out, he looked up to see the spear coming towards his throat and he rose his arm to stop it, the blade piercing it painfuly but not reaching his neck and with a roar he closed his eyes and recited a Tale, the Wrath Of The Gods

The woman was killed instantly as she was caught in the righteous fury of the Gods of Anor Londo, and the cleric huffed as he pulled the spear out of his arm and reached for his estus flask, drinking the golden liquid desperately to heal his wounds, but as soon as he finished a bolt hit his back and a fireball sent him to the ground

The Pyromancer! He had forgotten about him, and apparently he had a new friend: a crossbowman was standing near him in the stairs, he had no shield to defend himself now, his only hope was that he was fast enough to get them… and that his armor was strong enough to hold the spells and bolts back

A bolt soon hit his shoulder as he began advancing forward, but he managed to roll away from a fireball, only to receive another bolt, this time to his face, his helmet absorbed most damage but still left his stunned and on the floor, but the Gods listened to his prayers, as he slowly stood up to see the Pyromancer charge another fireball and the crossbowman loading another bow, he saw a white robbed man descending the stairs

As the pyromancer was about to throw another fireball, a Rapier soon appeared on his chest alongside a good amount of blood, the man only had a few seconds to look down at the steel coming from his chest before he was smashed to the ground and the rest of the rapier sank in, ending his life quickly

Next was the Crossbowman, who received a big blue dart-like projectile to his head and sent him down the stairs, the cleric recognized it as a Soul Arrow, of the Heavy variety, and a second one ended the life of the crossbowman with another head shot and now the Darkmoon Blade had a clear view of the stranger

A man, slim and quite tall, with very pale skin and a set of robes as white as snow that covered all of his body except for his face, which had a handsome look and a juvenile beard in it, there was a rapier on his right hand and a wooden staff on his left, a Wizard by the looks of it, the man lacked the purple aura of the invaders, but Athanel didn't trusted him still

" _Who are you?"_ the Champion spat as he took his estus flask out and began drinking from it, sighing in relief as all his burns and wounds soon healed fully thanks to the golden elixir, the wizard stood still for a minute as they both examined each other before finally speaking

" _I am Lozar, at your service! You don't look like one of these foul Faithfuls and you were fighting them, so I suppose you aren't a foe"_ the Wizard, Lozar, said as he began walking down the stairs towards him " _I was hiding from the Faithful quite well until you appeared, looks like I will have to change hiding places, again, is the Pontiff after you as well?"_ the wizard said with dismay as he stretched his hand towards the cleric

Athanel slowly took the hand and shook it as he looked at him, he wasn't a threat… not right now anyways _"Athanel, Champion Of The Dark Sun"_ he declared and smirked behind his helmet as he saw the wizard's eyes widen in surprise _"You speak in terms I am unaware of, who are these Faithful? And who is this Pontiff?... and most importantly, what is Irithyll?"_

Lozar looked at him for a few moments before walking upstairs _"Too much to explain, specially to someone that comes from your Age… I will give you the basics, Unkindled, the madmen and women who just attacked us are Aldrich's Faithful, servants of the Saint Of The Deep that both defend him in his Cathedral and chase down his enemies, people like you and I"_ the wizard said as the cleric followed him, and soon they found themselves on an studio

The Wizard hurried to collect several scrolls laying around and place them in a box as he spoke _"The Pontiff is Sulyvhan… it's a long story, lets just say he declared himself Pontiff of the Darkmoon Church and then began worshipping Aldrich instead of the Dark Sun…"_ Lozar's face darkened _"and I don't think you will like the next part…. Now hurry! We must leave, more Faithful are coming to kill us"_

Athanel wasn't understanding anything about what the young wizard was speaking of, his answers only generating more questions for him: Who the hell was Aldrich? Why was he being worshipped instead of the glorious Gwyndolin? Why didn't the Darkmoon Blades do something to stop that madman Sulyvhan?

" _More answers will come, my friend, but-"_ his speech was interrupted as a deafening trumpet was heard outside, it made Athanel's whole body chill and almost freeze in fear, for a moment he felt like a horrible sinner, like an Heretic that had to be destroyed, a worthless blasphemer… the feeling only lasted for a few seconds but it was enough to intimidate him and convince him of leaving

The wizard was even paler than usual _"Oh no, Oh no no no… we have to get out of here, we have to get out of here! SIR VOREAS IS COMING!"_ Lozar shouted as he ran downstairs with his box and kicked the door open, running for the bonfire and ignoring the blizzard and freezing temperatures, Athanel soon following him

From the corner of his eye he could see several purple shadows rising from the ground all around them, there was no way they could fight against so many enemies, he hated to run from honorable combat but… this was a horde, not a single enemy, soon they reached the bonfire and Lozar quickly grabbed the coiled sword _"HURRY UP AND GRAB THE SWORD! SIR VOREAS IS COMING! Oh I should've guessed, you are a massive threat to Aldrich and Sulyvhan, of course they send the Hero Of Irithyll after you! JUST GRAB THE DAMN SWORD!"_

As Lozard ranted he turned around just in time to see a big shade coming closer and closer, without thinking twice the cleric grabbed the sword, and as he began fading and teleporting to another place he managed to get a glimpse of the so called Hero Of Irithyll

He easily towered over any normal man, Lozar, who was the tallest of the two, only reached to his stomach at full height, he was heavily armored as well, a thick set of plate armor covering him from neck to toe, his face was fully revealed tough, he was as pale as Lozar, but much older, long silver hair going down from his beard and his head, his eyes blue

But before he could see more details he fully faded towards whatever destination the Wizard picked, he stayed on the dirt for a while, grunting before rising his sight to look at a massive cathedral looming over the land

" _The Cathedral Of The Deep, the place where they least expect us to be"_ the Wizard declared as he looked at the looming structure _"Place is mostly overrun with monstrosities from the Deep, or so I heard from a traveler, the Deacons only control a part of the Cathedral… but that doesn't means it will be easy"_

Athanel was having a headache by now, he needed answers, and he needed them quickly _"Tell me a goddamn reason we must go into that accursed Cathedral, and I DEMAND YOU TO TELL ME EVEYRHTING YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS GWYN-FORSAKEN AGE! AND WHAT THE ABYSS HAPPENED TO GWYNDOLIN?!"_ he shouted, rising to his feet and looking at the wizard, who sighed

" _sit down then, for there is much to learn… I escaped from Irithyll with several magic scrolls when the Pontiff took power, and I've been on the run from him ever since, so I am not well informed of what has happened… but I've heard the very same tale from all travelers I've found"_ the wizard looked at him with sorrow in his eyes, and Athanel's stomach began to feel empty as he heard him _"If the rumors about… you and him…. Are true, then I offer my most sincere condolences, for Gwyndolin is dead"  
_

 **A/N:** **THE END!**

 **I felt this chapter was weak like the Yhorm one, although it did had a good amount of action! But yeah, I've decided to separate different storylines before merging them, Athanel and Lozar will explore the Cathedral and Athanel will continue his quest to find out what happened to Gwyndolin… I doubt he will believe Lozar until he sees it with his very own eyes**

 **And we will have Joseph explore the Undead Settlement, the foul Road Of Sacrifices and then, the accursed Farron Keep(seriously, fuck that poison), next chapter will be with Joseph, and who knows! Maybe a couple of heroes will find him and go with him! I am eager to continue the Abyss Watcher's storyline myself, so I can't wait to go to Farron Keep's!**

 **From now on it will be one chapter per character or group of characters (Joseph-Athanel-unknown hero-unknown hero-etc. etc.) I hope you enjoy the mechanic!**

 **See you next time… and may the flames guide you**


End file.
